He’s smiling like the cat that ate the canary.
One of the upstate teens accused of killing and eating an adored mother swan flashed a creepy grin during his arrest Wednesday, according to video footage of the bust posted online.
Eman Hussan, 18, strutted like a peacock for cameras, while being perp walked by cops in Manlius, where he was charged with grand larceny for joining with two underage pals to swipe a town-owned swan named Faye on Memorial Day, cook her for dinner and kidnap her four babies.
Officials said Thursday that Faye’s grieving swan mate, Manny, would likely be removed from the pond where they lived lest he become aggressive over his loss.
“We will probably remove Manny because of the significance of, they do mate forever, and losing Faye – Manny can become combative,” Manlius mayor Paul Whorral told WSYR-TV.
Hussan and his 16- and 17-year-old pals allegedly grabbed Faye because they thought the bird was a duck when they allegedly went “hunting” Monday at a pond where generations of town-owned swans have flocked since 1905, police said.
The teens allegedly hopped a fence surrounding Manlius Swan Pond, killed Faye while she was nesting — then snatched four of her babies, according to police.
He said the male bird will likely be relocated in six weeks, when the four baby swans, known as cygnets, are returned to the water.
“Manny will be removed from the pond and will let the four cygnets grow up…hopefully two of the cygnets will mate and we’ll get back to the way it used to be,” Whorral said.
All four babies were found in good health Tuesday, and are now in the care of a local biologist, syracuse.com reported.
Hussan and his accomplices were allegedly hunting for fun, not for lack of food, police said.
“They did ultimately consume the swan, but I don’t know if that was more cultural beliefs or not,” Manlius Police Sergeant Ken Hatter said.
The teens were charged with felony counts of grand larceny along with conspiracy and criminal trespassing.
Hussan was arraigned Wednesday and released on his own recognizance. He’s due in court again on June 15.
