25 APRIL
2019 • 5:00PM
A male
black swan has been left to protect his unhatched eggs alone after his mate was
stolen from her nest in the moat of a 14th century manor house, in the
latest tragedy to hit the couple.
The sight
of Sebastian breaks the heart of those who live at Markenfield Hall in
Yorkshire, as he regularly goes back to the nest to check on his eggs.
Is is
thought his partner Sylvia, who had been an attraction at the house for years,
was stolen, as she disappeared without a trace.
This
comes after Sylvia's previous mate was killed by an otter two years ago, and
after a period of mourning she was introduced to Sebastian, and they quickly
hit it off.
The pair
had spent most of this month constructing a nest on the moat bank at the manor
house so Sylvia could lay her eggs. Many in the area were excited to hear the
cheeps of cygnets come late spring.
But owner
of the manor Lady Deirdre Curteis and husband Ian Curteis began to grow
concerned when they found Sebastian by himself last Saturday, sitting on the
nest alone.
Lady
Deirdre said: "I thought it was peculiar as Sebastian - the male - always
swims across when he sees anyone coming, but there was just
one swan and it was sitting on the nest.
"We
searched for Sylvia for days but found no trace anywhere - not even a
feather".
Swans are
unusual in that both the parent birds help incubate any eggs, with one standing
guard to warn off predators. If they hatch, Sebastian will have to be a single
parent, protecting them until they are old enough to fly.
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