Mother Swan ‘Dies Of Broken Heart’ After Teenagers Vandalize Eggs, Nest

A mother swan whose unhatched eggs and nest were vandalized by a group of teenagers with bricks and stones apparently died "of a broken heart."

The teenage boys took aim at the swan’s nest along the Manchester canal in Bolton, U.K., and killed its unborn cygnets in the month of May. The grieving swan was found dead in the nest just weeks later, Manchester Evening News reported.

The lads were reportedly seen targeting, hurling bricks and stones at the nest on May 20. They managed to destroy three out of the total six eggs and the remaining eggs started disappearing in the following days. In the end, only one egg was left.

The father swan also wandered off the nest shortly after and never returned, thus leaving the female counterpart all by itself. A Wildlife activist told the news portal the male swan suffered stress from the incident.

"There's not much I can say really,” activist Sam Woodrow said. "She probably died of a broken heart as she had a partner for life and he was driven away by stress."

Activist Michael Mason said on Facebook that he had been following the development of the swan for over 12 years and felt “great sadness” to announce its death. He also said the swan was harassed by dogs, a duck, and a moorhen prior to its death.

"I have tried to keep you updated on this swan who laid six eggs, three were destroyed by youths, she has then been harassed by dogs jumping in and harassed by a duck and moorhen and two more eggs were lost leaving her with one egg,” he wrote in a Facebook post along with posting a couple of pictures of the swan. "Her mate left her on her own and sadly I was informed this morning she was found slumped in her nest dead. I just feel like crying."

Several Facebook users who were left heartbroken seeing the post urged authorities to take action against the young chaps. A spokesperson for the RSPCA told the Evening News that vandalizing a swan’s nest and their eggs is a criminal offense as per the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.