HARTFORD — Environmental officials who killed a swan they deemed to be aggressive are trying to better inform the public about nesting sites so people can elude encounters with the birds.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection plans to use social media to alert the public to nesting locations they should avoid.
The new protocols were partly prompted by an incident where officials euthanized a mute swan they determined was a public risk this spring. Two kayakers reported the bird was charging at them and some canoeists, who capsized.
The swan’s death spurred outrage among some who felt the agency’s actions were unnecessary. A petition called on the state to investigate.
The agency’s new response guidelines for mute swans also clarify in writing when a bird should be euthanized.
