Reward of Up to $5,000 for Help Nabbing Swan Abuser

PETA Calls On Public to Identify Person(s) Who Glued, Taped Swans’ Beaks Closed in Two Separate Instances One Month Apart

For Immediate Release:
September 27, 2017

Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382

On September 19, a maintenance worker at Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa reportedly noticed that a swan on the premises was struggling to breathe. Upon closer inspection, he saw what appeared to be super glue on his or her beak. He rushed the terrified animal to a vet, who removed the adhesive, and the swan has since been returned to the area in good health. Approximately one month earlier, another swan was found at the cemetery with duct tape around his or her beak, although that incident wasn’t reported to police at the time.

Forest Cemetery is planning to install security cameras, and Oskaloosa police have increased patrols in the area—however, law-enforcement officials have yet to make any arrests in connection with the crimes, which they believe are related. That’s why PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for these crimes.

“Someone is behind these cruel attacks on sensitive swans,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA urges anyone with information about this case to come forward immediately so that whoever forced these swans’ beaks shut with tape and glue can be held responsible and stopped from hurting anyone else.”

Anyone with information about this case should contact Oskaloosa Police Department 24-Hour Dispatch at 641-672-2557.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—offers tips for helping wildlife and reporting cruelty to animals on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org.