Second pair of swans go missing from Taconic Road estate

[Donna]

Last year it was Fred and Ethel that went missing, now these 2 Black swans.

GREENWICH -- A backcountry family is becoming a walking advertisement for pet tracking technology.

One month to the day after two "pet" swans vanished from a pond on their property at 212 Taconic Road, Ken Martin and Betsy Sorrel called police Tuesday night to report a second pair missing.

Indigenous to Australia and costing $1,100 a pair, the black swans were shipped just last Thursday from a California breeder to the couple, which is still reeling from the disappearance of a pair of white mute swans from the same pond in June.

A third swan went missing from the couple's pond, which has an aeration system to keep it from freezing in the winter, a few weeks earlier.

"Honestly, I just want someone to understand that they need to stop doing this," Martin said. "It's a little disheartening."

A breakthrough in the investigation appeared to have come late Wednesday afternoon, when Martin said his wife was told by police that all five swans had been located on Rockwood Lake, a reservoir that is a quarter-mile from the couple's estate.

"One of their thoughts is that someone may feel that our pond is not the proper place for the swans," said Martin, who had not yet arranged for their return.

The reservoir is owned by Aquarion Water Co., which previously offered to help the couple retrieve their prize swans if they turned up in Rockwood Lake.

Police confirmed that they were looking into the disappearance.

"We were there (Tuesday) night," Sgt. Eric Scorca said of the couple's estate.

No further information was available from police, who were first notified of the disappearance of two white mute swans on June 20.

The couple chose black swans over white ones because they would be easier to recognize if they went missing -- each one has a red beak with a white stripe.

"They're not something you're going to find in the wild here," Martin said.

As an insurance policy on their new swans, which Martin described as docile, the owners resorted to further steps to identify them.

"We banded them," Martin said. "We provided the numbers on the bands to the Greenwich police."

All five swans, the first three of which the couple said cost $1,800 apiece, came from the breeder with their wings clipped to keep them from flying away.

The couple has been pleading for the safe return of the swans, which they say cannot survive in the wild during the wintertime when lakes and reservoirs freeze over.

"Look, these are pets," Martin said. "Not only do we get the enjoyment of having them, but I think it adds to the overall neighborhood."

The owners of the swans last reported seeing them in the pond Monday night when they went to bed.

"They're tame enough that they would come up to anybody who would feed them," Martin said. "They look for new grass shoots along edge of water. That's where they feed."

Reluctant to put up a stone wall or fence on the property, Martin said he has explored additional security measures as a last resort.

"I think it's sort of reprehensible that we have to take those steps," he said. "Does it make sense to spend $10,000 securing my property to keep people out?"

[MAK]

 

[Annette]

A very strange story.