A black swan nicknamed 'Mr Terminator' has been evicted from Stratford-Upon-Avon after terrorising the town's famous mute swans. The bird, known locally as Reggie, was captured on Tuesday by veteran swan warden Cyril Bennis and is now being held in a local park before being relocated to the Dawlish Waterfowl Centre in Devon.
Mr Bennis, who has volunteered as Stratford-Upon-Avon's swan warden for 45 years, said the black swan initially charmed residents when it arrived nine months ago. 'Everybody fell in love with him,' he said, adding that the bird became 'more popular than William Shakespeare himself'. However, the swan's behaviour turned aggressive as it began muscling in on a pair of mute swans with a young cygnet.
'He kicked out the male and the cygnet. He tried to take over its territory with the other female,' Mr Bennis explained. The black swan then started trying to drown and attack the local mute swans, prompting the warden to take action. 'It needed to move on,' he said.
The removal process was not easy, leaving Mr Bennis with a sore chest, but he managed to calm the bird and secure it in a holding area. With the rogue swan set to be sent to Devon, Mr Bennis said the river is now calm and the mute swans are relaxing. 'It's like a play out of Shakespeare,' he remarked.
