The Tragic Death Of Jamie Oliver's Pet Black Swan

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is best known for teaching people how to whip up delicious meals with his cooking shows like "Naked Chef" and "Jamie's 30 Minute Meals." But, aside from his commitment to making cooking more accessible, the British chef is big on his other passion: caring for animals. In fact, he once starred in an infamous television documentary, "Fowl Dinners," which brought light to the harmful living conditions of farm chickens and called for more ethical poultry production. It's safe to say Oliver has some serious compassion for birds! Per the Daily Mail, the British chef and his wife, Jools, even kept two black swans as pets at their farmhouse in Essex.

Sadly, back in February 2013, Oliver revealed to fans on Instagram that their rare bird had been killed after being ravaged by a "massive" fox. The chef shared a post featuring a graphic photo of blood-covered swan eggs at the scene of the crime, lamenting how the "fox didn't even eat a thing just tore up the mother." According to The Independent, black swans are native to Australia and usually a rare sight in other countries, save for in wildlife reserves.

While it's undeniably sad for anyone to lose a pet — especially in such a brutal manner — Oliver chalked up the massacre to the circle of life, writing how "nature has its cruel way." He also joked about getting revenge against the fox, writing, "If you see fox on my menu soon don't be surprised."

According to the Daily Mail, Jamie Oliver's rare swans had only bred for the first time that year, which made the loss of the mother swan especially tragic. Oliver acknowledged this in his Instagram post by writing the tragedy was "such a shame" because the swan "was sitting on two eggs for the last month." The same outlet noted that Oliver and his family reportedly planned to incubate the eggs to ensure they would hatch safely. Though there was never a public follow-up on what happened to the baby swans, or whether Oliver ever adopted new birds, the British chef has continued to use his platform to fight for animal welfare, advocating for better conditions for all farm animals (Via Jamie Oliver).

Thankfully, it seems clear the Oliver family has since moved on from the loss. According to an Instagram post from July 2021 by Oliver's wife, Jools, the family has since welcomed a new pet into the family: a pet snake called "Saffron Noodle" (via Hello!).