Demonstrators Speak Out for Mute Swans – Call Them 'Not Talkative'

While the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) has ruled out culling the local mute swan population, the decision hasn’t satisfied all local advocates for the birds—some of whom staged a demonstration in Sag Harbor on Monday.

Police were called to keep the peace.

At issue was the continued reference to the swans as being “mute,” a term which advocates identify asunnecessarily “demeaning and discriminatory.” Protestors demanded that officials hereafter refer to the waterfowl as “not talkative.”

Officials are considering the advocates’ demands.

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