A small village in New York is in grief after a beloved swan was killed by three depraved teenagers from abroad and then eaten.
The suspects, an 18-year-old and two juveniles, are refugees from Myanmar, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The swan, named Faye, did not fight back because she was nesting with her babies.
Police in the upstate village of Manlius say the suspects hopped the fence around the town's pond and kidnapped Faye, before killing her and stealing her four cygnets.
The suspects face charges of grand larceny and criminal mischief, which are felonies, as well as misdemeanors for conspiracy and criminal trespass.
Police said the suspects, who said they were "hunting," may have mistaken the swan for a duck. Faye was ultimately cooked and eaten, the police said.
"They did ultimately consume the swan, but I don’t know if that was more cultural beliefs or not," Manlius Police Sgt. Ken Hatter said.
Two of the babies were found at a residence in Syracuse. The other two babies were found at a shop in a nearby town.
The cygnets are in good health and will be cared for by a town biologist before being eventually returned to the pond.
Faye's mate, Manny, is also unharmed, but he will be removed from the pond because he may become aggressive after the death of his companion, mayor Paul Whorrall said, noting that swans are monogamous animals.
The mayor said the small village of less than 5,000 will not allow the gruesome actions of the criminals to alter the customs of the town, where swans have been an important part of the culture for a century.
"We've had swans for over 100 years, we're going to continue to have swans as part of this village," Whorrall said.
However, the town is taking security measures. New cameras have already been installed around the pond, the mayor said in a notice to residents about the "bizarre and evil" act.
"We will not let three ruthless and despicable individuals dictate how our village operates," he said.
One of the suspects, 18-year-old Eman Hussan, was seen flashing a remorseless grin for the camera while being perp walked last week.
This comes after illegal immigrants from Honduras shot and killed a bald eagle in Nebraska with the intention of eating it, causing a public outcry.
President Biden raised the refugee cap to 125,000 per year after President Trump had slashed it to an all-time low.
