Hungarian man kills a protected swan in Croatia, will he pay for it?

A Hungarian man killed a swan in Croatia by jumping off a yacht to entertain fellow passengers. Swans are protected species in Croatia.

Croatian news site ŠibenikIN reported on the case. About twenty people witnessed the death of the swan. The tragic event took place in Skradin, at 5 pm on Sunday. The man jumped on the swan from 6-7 meters high, and the animal was fatally injured. One of the witnesses called the police.

According to a witness, the man jumped right on the swan as if it was a joke. Children on the yacht were laughing, and a friend took footage of the event with a phone. The swan was fighting for its life for a few minutes after the incident, but unable to rise its head, the animal eventually died.

Some people on the yacht said that the swan is still alive, and it left. Other people, however, say that transporting a corpse with a boat can be seen on footage currently possessed by the police. Šime Pavić, a police spokesperson, told the Croatian news site that the prosecution is over.

A report was received at the Šibenik-Knin Police Station on August 8 at around 6 pm, and when officers went out to the field, they found out that a Hungarian citizen had jumped off an anchored boat and jumped on a swan. In the evening, a dead swan was found, and further investigations took place.

It was revealed that there was no intentional jump on the animal. No elements of a crime were identified, and the case is now officially deemed an accident.

Damages caused to protected animals by illegal activities result in fines. For damaging a swan (Cygnus olor), the perpetrator is fined a sum of 3600 kunas, while damaging a yellow-billed swan (Cygnus cygnus) results in a 9600 kuna penalty.

Although the incident shed a terrible light on the Hungarian tourist in the Croatian media, Hungary is a country where strict law and legislation is in place against cruelty to animals. It is forbidden to cause unjustified or avoidable pain, suffering or injury to an animal or damaging the animal in any way. The general public seriously judges cruelty against animals in Hungary, and the punishments match the crime.