New York officials have abandoned a plan to kill more than 2,000 wild swans after a public outcry.
The population of around 2,200 mute swans, which are not native to the United States, had been labeled pests due to their aggressive nature, The Associated Press reported.
Officials at the Department of Environmental Conservation drew up a plan last year to eradicate the swan population, saying the birds were harming the habitat of waterfowl that are native to America.
The agency wanted to name the swans a "prohibited invasive species," according to a CBS New York report.
The plan, which received 16,000 protest letters, would have involved destroying nests, puncturing eggs and shooting or gassing swans that live on public land, according to the AP.
Officials have withdrawn the plan to eradicate the swans and are now looking at non-lethal ways to keep the population in control, CBS reported. Possible methods include sterilizing the birds and destroying their nests.
While beautiful, the swans have reproduced to an alarming point and have become a wildlife population that "pollutes water, displaces native birds, poses a hazard to aviation and shows aggression toward people," CBS reported.
The plan to kill the swans reportedly inspired a petition with 30,000 signatures asking for the birds to be saved. State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) also spoke against the plan last month and has introduced a bill that would put a two-year moratorium on the eradication plan.
"It seems to be a very capricious and arbitrary decision," said Avella, as reported by CBS. "To eradicate an entire species here in New York State is just incomprehensible."
Introduced from Europe in the 19th century to serve as decorations on private estates, the wild swans have been living on Long Island, populating areas in the Hudson Valley and around Lake Ontario.
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