Baby Swans Killed by 'Catapult' in String of Animal Killings On 6/3/21 at 5:16 PM EDT On or before May 29, two baby swans, also known as cygnets, were brutally killed by a "sophisticated catapult" in London's Beddington Park, marking the second time in less than a month local birds had been slain in that manner, according to My London News. The cygnets, whose bodies were discovered between 9 and 10 a.m., were "quite clearly shot through the head," a spokesperson for London Wildlife Protection (LWP) told This Is Local London. Tragically, they were among the first cygnets to successfully hatch in the park in some time, the spokesperson added.