Anthony Hensley, 37, of Villa Park, Illinois drowned after he was attacked in his kayak by a mute swan, Cygnus olor. I did some research on this animal and learned a few things. The mute swan is an introduced exotic species, universally considered to be an invasive species. A quick Internet search shows many state departments of natural resources expressing disdain for the negative impact of this exotic animal. It is destructive to the environment by consuming huge quantities of submerged aquatic vegetation, thus destroying critical fish and aquatic wildlife habitat. In addition, the highly aggressive and territorial mute swan out-competes native waterfowl and shore birds for habitat, actively destroys eggs and chicks, and attacks and kills adult birds. It is directly responsible for wiping out native nesting populations of endangered black skimmers and least terns in Maryland, and is responsible for reductions in other waterfowl populations. As we see from the attack and tragic drowning of the man in Illinois, it is highly aggressive toward people: clearly its large size and belligerent disposition make this a dangerous animal.
All of this is strikingly similar to the information used to justify the recent Lacey Act listing of the Burmese python as an "injurious" species. One would assume that mute swans, with a proven record of causing the same problems (actually worse), are similarly listed, but they are not. In fact, they are a protected species by the same USDI/USFWS who “banned” the Burmese python, African rock python, and yellow anaconda. The conclusions are inescapable and undisputable: a widely held fear of snakes, fueled by the media’s lust for sensationalism, along with the strong influence of animal rights interests, have resulted in one animal being persecuted by the federal government, while another “disagreeable” species receives protection and is “managed”. Orwell was correct in that “some animals are more equal than others.” And I had always interpreted Animal Farm as being symbolic.
Make no mistake about it, politicians currently see a “war on snakes” as a politically profitable enterprise, an opportunity to garner the adoration of fearful constituents and emotional animal rights advocates. Do not doubt that more efforts are underway on all levels of government to regulate or eliminate your right to keep reptiles, especially large and/or exotic species. HR511 is currently alive and well in Congress. Snake keepers, you absolutely must speak up to your representatives or you are going to lose more of your freedoms. Tell them you are against HR511. Politicians react well to the fear of losing popularity.
Contact your Congressman and voice opposition to HR511 as biased, unnecessary legislation.
Write or email, or both.
You can locate your Congressman here:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/
Mute swan references, if you are interested:
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/issues/restoration/non-natives/workshop/mute_swan.html
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=973&fr=1&sts=sss
http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/ais/watershed/swan.htm
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/infocus/muteswanfacts.html
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/muteswan/index.html
