VIDEO: Florida Man Caught Snatching Baby Swans, Putting Them In Cooler

A man was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly taking two baby swans from their parents' nests in Florida, according to WKMG.

Frank Howard shared a video of the incident with reporters, which shows a man taking cygnets, or newly hatched swans, and putting them in a cooler at Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando.

"He reached down and grabbed one, and the mom started going crazy and he hit the mom with the cooler," Howard said. "He was saying, ‘Yeah, we rescue them all the time. I’ve done this many times, look at my arms are all scratched up from the fathers attacking me.'"

The man can also be heard in the footage telling Howard and his girlfriend that he's with a rescue and the babies will be "dead tomorrow" if he doesn't take them.

Bystanders later reported the incident to Orlando police on May 9, and officers said they recovered the babies the next day and were reunited with their parents.

As for the man in the video, authorities identified him as 71-year-old Richard Harger Sr. An arrest warrant said detectives tracked Harger back to his home after a photo showed the tags on his red Jeep, which was seen leaving Lake Eola Park. A sign reading "4 Da Birds" was found outside the suspect's home, police added.

Harger reportedly spoke with investigators, brought out a laundry basket with the two cygnets inside, and handed the babies over to police. He also told authorities he had 200 other birds in his home, including ducks and parrots.

The 71-year-old apologized for the incident, and police said he has been trespassed from all Orlando city parks.

Photo: Getty Images