After meeting with representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall said the beloved Manlius mute swan pair, Manny and Faye, will still not be allowed to hatch their eggs at the Manlius Swan Pond.

In early March, the DEC ruled that mute swans, a species native to Europe and Asia, were now considered an invasive species and that the DEC was working to eliminate the mute swan population of 2,200 in New York State by 2025.

“What we learned was the problem was that these swans were breeding in the wild and are attacking people in recreational areas,” said Trustee Janice Abdo-Rott, who was also present at the meeting with the DEC.

Whorrall had contacted the DEC to consider the situation of the swans in Manlius, as they have been a symbol of the village for hundreds of years and people come from all over to see the cygnets each spring after they are hatched.

Additionally Faye, the female swan, carries a recessive genetic trait that is passed down to her cygnets that gives some white bills, white feet and blue eyes rather than the usual black feet, black-and-orange bills and brown eyes.

“The bottom line is they know our situation here but that doesn’t change the factor of having to remove the eggs. I’ve already sent in a permit for keeping the mute swans but as far as them breeding, that’s not going to be approved,” said Whorrall.

The DEC outlined several options that the village board will now have to consider for Manny and Faye. Whorrall said one of these options included destroying Faye’s eggs and replacing them with another swan species eggs so the pair could still raise cygnets.

Another option would be replacing the mute swan pair after they pass away and getting a pair from another swan species, like trumpeter swans, to put on the pond.

Trustee Nancy Pfeiffer brought up the idea of looking into removing the pair and donating them to a state that is able to breed them so that Faye’s recessive traits could still be passed down.

“I’d hate to see something that exists that matters so much to someone just vaporized,” Pfeiffer said. “Removing eggs and replacing them would be a lot of work … The DPW would seem like zookeepers.”

Whorrall said he would look into the possibility of donating the pair of mute swans so they could continue to breed in another state so the board can make a decision on by sometime in May.

Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].