Mall-loving swans freak out Danvers shoppers

MASSACHUSETTS -- The seemingly never-ending snow and cold this winter has driven many couples to the malls for an escape.
 
That includes an unusual couple, mated for life, who seem to like the parking lots at the Liberty Tree Mall and Endicott Plazas so much that they are reluctant to leave, according to police and health officials.

That couple would be a pair of swans, apparently frozen out of their usual nesting spots.

 

 

The swans have sought refuge in the busy parking lot in front of Best Buy and Target at the Liberty Tree Mall or at the nearby Endicott Plaza in the vicinity of Laser Quest.

And they have not gone unnoticed.

Police posted on Facebook Tuesday they have been receiving “an overwhelming volume of calls relating to the swans that have taken up residence in the parking lots around town.”

The message from police and health officials is simple: Don’t feed the swans. Beyond that — forget about them.

“The Animal Control Officer has been checking in on the swans daily,” police said. “They are not in distress at this time.”

“This winter has definitely been very hard on wildlife,” said Ami Bowen of the Animal Rescue League. “We have encountered several swans in unusual places.”

(Salem News - March 4, 2015)

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