By ELEANOR BLACK
Bad-tempered black swans in Rotorua have bitten one child too many.
Twenty of the big birds - best known for intimidating the toddlers and hapless tourists who crowd War Memorial Park in summer months to toss bread - will be sent to a Mexican zoological garden within three weeks.
The Rotorua District Council has approved the sale of the swans by Dama Exporters, specialists in shipping wildlife, after years of struggling to control the quarrelsome birds, who thrive at Lake Rotorua and leave messy mounds of droppings on walkways.
The council is also putting up light-hearted signs in the style of 1950s horror film publicity posters warning people not to feed the remaining birds because of the risk of attack.
While the bird population is fluid, at any time up to 80 swans bob around in the shallow water bordering the park.
They are one of the most common water fowl in New Zealand but their presence is a magnet for tourists, who stream from buses to watch the birds nip one another's necks, fight over scraps of food and preen in the sunshine.
Unfortunately, that well-meaning attention provokes the swans to bite, says parks and recreation manager Garry Page, who also admits that black swans are known for being more aggressive than their white counterparts.
Dennis Olliver, who is responsible for keeping the central business district tidy, estimates that up to $25,000 and 450 hours are spent annually clearing the lakefront footpaths of swan and seagull droppings, chewing gum and ice-cream.
It is understood that more swans will be sent to Mexico if the first shipment is well-received.
"But they're prolific breeders," says Mr Olliver.
"Unless we take away every living swan, egg and cygnet we're not going to get rid of them."
Swanning off to Mexico
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