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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Swan illegally shot and killed in Central Oregon

In this March 25, 2015, file photo, a pair of trumpeter swans stretch and preen on ice along a channel of open water at Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage, Alaska. (Dan Joling / Associated Press)
Associated Press

SUNRIVER, Ore. – Authorities say a male trumpeter swan was illegally shot and killed in the central Oregon community of Sunriver.

The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory says the swan named Chuck had lived on Lake Aspen in Sunriver since 2013. He had been exploring outside Lake Aspen when found injured on Thanksgiving.

KTVZ reports that Chuck was euthanized after veterinarians deemed the injury too serious to overcome.

Chuck and a female swan had been placed at Lake Aspen as part of a breeding program to reintroduce trumpeter swans in the area. Swans are a protected species, officials said, and it is illegal to hunt them in Oregon.

Sunriver police will work with the OSP Fish and Game Division to investigate the killing.