Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NY Will Use Birth Control To Wipe Out Mute Swans Instead Of Executing Them
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 1, 2014
Modified Mar 1, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Marie Viljoen/flickr
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 1, 2014
Modified Mar 1, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last year, people were quacking mad after the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) drafted up a "management plan" [PDF] which called for the total elimination of NY's mute swam population by 2025. But good news for those who feel slightly icky at the thought of 2,200 animals being literally executed by guns or gas: the DEC has scuttled the initial, aggressive plan. Instead, they will curtail the population with birth control.
"The big victory is that they’re not going to slaughter the swans of Sheepshead Bay," Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz told constituents on Friday, according to the Post. "Sheepshead Bay wouldn’t be the same without the mute swans. They’re synonymous with grace and beauty. Yes, they may hiss sometimes, but this is New York, so they’re entitled."
The DEC has labeled the mute swans an "invasive, non-native" species, because they were first brought here in the late 1800s by Europeans for use as living lawn ornaments. Around 500 were discharged into the wild around 1910, and they've proliferated ever since. Their population has tripled in the past three decades.
The DEC received more than 16,000 letters and 30,000 signatures on various petitions from swan lovers hoping to help them avoid the fate of so many geese. There's only one way to celebrate this stay of execution:
Tagged
birth control
execution
mute swans
stay of execution
swans
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .