Beloved black swans, eggs stolen from Polk County mobile home park: ‘Devastating’

Black swans, eggs stolen from Polk County mobile home park

FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.

LAKELAND, Fla. - Residents of a Polk County mobile home community are pleading for the safe return of their two beloved black swans and their eggs.

Big picture view:

"Sterling" and "Luna" have lived in the Highland Village Mobile Home Park on West Brannen Road for years and are an iconic duo on Highland Lake.

Courtesy: Rebecca Zakostelecky.

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But, neighbors said two suspects snuck into the swans' caregiver's backyard with nets and a bucket shortly after 9 p.m. on Wednesday. They snatched the two birds from their nesting box, along with their four eggs.

It took around 30 minutes for the thieves to grab them, place them in their vehicle and then disappear. The park's property manager, Lynda Eddlemon, said the community is devastated.

What they're saying:

"[The birds] come here, and they know they feel safe, and they get fed," Eddlemon. "These are like our kids. They're our children, our babies. You can hear a silence in the park. You can hear anger, they're gone. It has been devastating to the caregiver of this property."

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The Polk County Sheriff's Office's agricultural crime detectives are looking for the swans and their eggs, as well as the suspects. It's a crime Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is calling "cruel."

What's next:

The community is offering a $1,000 reward for information regarding Sterling and Luna and their eggs, and the suspects' whereabouts, as well as any information that will lead to their arrest and conviction.

"They're pretty rare, and I would just hope people out there are looking and paying attention and if anybody saw anything, I would hope they would contact us and let us know," said Eddlemon.

What you can do:

If anyone has any information, please call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-888-400-TIPS.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through an interview with the mobile home community's property manager. The Polk County Sheriff's Office also shared information on the case.

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