All species of swans (Cygnus spp.) have been listed as the second class national protected animals in China. Illegal hunting, catching and killing of precious and endangered wild animal constitutes a criminal offence under the Law in China, however, such cases were still often happened. We collected and analyzed 46 death cases of swans during 2000 to 2016 in China. Our results showed that such cases were occurred frequently in winter from November to January. Poisoning, such as using the carbofuran, was the most important way to cause the deaths of swans. The cases always happened in borders between cities in China (Fig. 1). Therefore, pesticide management should be strengthened during the migration season of swans, especially in border areas between provinces and cities. Furthermore, to establish a multi-area law enforcement linkage mechanism during the migration season may be useful for protecting the swans.