Lake Orion summer home owner Cathy Battaglia said she was delighted when she read recently in The Lake Orion Review that something might be done with two swans, described as ‘aggressive,? living on Lake Orion.
‘My daughters were attacked by those swans in a no wake zone last summer,? she said. ‘People were laughing at us.?
Battaglia and her husband bought their summer home on Lake Orion last year, and she said they weren’t aware of the aggressive swans when they first started using the lake.
‘We were just on jet skis, and they kept attacking us,? she said. ‘We just high tailed it…they can hurt. They attack with their beaks.?
Battaglia said her husband was on shore at the time of the attack.
‘He couldn’t do anything,? she said. ‘My daughters were 15 and 12 last summer…if they saw the swans, they would just go inside. They were petrified.?
Battaglia said she doesn’t support euthanizing the swans, as a petition circulated among homeowners on the lake was said to be asking for, but she does support moving the swans somewhere else.
‘I would like them to move,? she said. ‘We have just avoided them this year. But it’s my kids or the swans.?
Battaglia said saying ‘the swans were there first? is not fair to jet skiers and others who frequent the lake.
‘It’s an all sport lake,? she said. ‘I would financially support (having the swans moved), that’s how angry I am. They are very territorial.
‘I’m an animal lover,? Battaglia said. ‘But when they start attacking my kids, they have to go.?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the male mute swan, which was reportedly involved in a Memorial Day incident on the lake that resulted in lacerations to a man’s face, was drugged and taken from the lake to be euthanized last week. The female swan remains on the lake.
Mute swans are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can issue permits for the birds to be euthanized if they are found to be a health and safety hazard.