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Thieves Raid Lakeland Swan Nests  About 20 eggs were taken from nests around Lake Mirror and Lake Morton. Officials say the eggs were taken right before they were due to hatch.
Communications Director Kevin Cook said as far as he knows this is the first time any one has stolen swan eggs from city nests. He said whoever took the eggs probably aims to sell them: a cygnet can be worth up to $400. “We know there is a market for them, I just don’t know, as a very juvenile swan and even an egg, I personally don’t know where you would go to sell those,” he said. Cook said the police and city officials are monitoring internet sites to see if anyone tries to sell the eggs or juvenile swans. The city maintains a population of 62 swans on its lakes. Surplus birds are rounded up each year and sold to the public as pets for $600 a pair. The swan is the symbol of Lakeland, with the first breeding pair given to the city by the British Royal family in the 1950s. |
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