When the woman wished to “save” a bird, she took it back to her 25 square metre apartment on the island of Kungsholmen in central Stockholm.
There she cleaned the swans with washing up liquid, fed them and gave them water, although in quantities that were insufficient for the large birds.
The woman told the court that the swans had been unwell and she had intended for them to stay with her until they got better.
The bizarre menagerie was discovered last year by a handyman who spied the swans through the woman’s letter box.
Four of the birds were in such poor health that they needed to be immediately put down. The other seven swans were left requiring veterinarian help.
A Stockholm court found the woman guilty of cruelty to animals and awarded her a suspended sentence and a 4,000 kronor fine ($650).
In its judgment the court said that the woman “had the best of intentions even if it all went very wrong at a certain point”.
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