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AIBU?

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Original poster

To want to shame the people responsible for the death of a well-known swan

82 replies

LoveMyPiano · 04/12/2022 20:14

A local canal just over a couple of hills from where I live, has resident swans who everyone knows.

The canal itself is a countryside and picturesque stretch that becomes non-navigable due to a cloed tunnel, and is not even navigable where it should be due to restrictions at the minute from the Canal and River Trust.

There are two swans ( couple, most of the time....) who live on this part - close to a small hamlet with cottages facing the canal there - are loved by everyone and friendly. Despite that is, the male and his previous partner having been shot a couple of years ago. She died and he was injured and hospitalised for a while.
When he came back, a new female came with him, and they actually had some offsping, which was lovely to see.

This weekend, "someone" called out the RSPCA to him. He has a wonky neck, which worsens when he is tired, but it is an old injury and he is prefectly fine.
The RSPCA and a local vet "diagnosed" bird flu, and he has been destroyed!!!

There was a big struhgle to get him out, and he will have been very frightened. Only to be killed after all that! I cannot get that out of my mind.

They have a ring which if checked, will detail their history - and the "local" (it is quite big) Swan Rescue has full knowledge of him and his issues - and can handle swans nicely and carefully, as it their area of expertise.

I have never posted (in part) hoping that the press would get wind of the content. But I hope that one of their staff who are employed to seek out items to broadcast, might see this and follow up.

The swans were actually on Countryfile not long ago - and people would I am sure, be so sad and horrified to hear what has happened.

OP posts:
TabithaTittlemouse · 04/12/2022 21:37

That’s really sad.

pointsettia1 · 04/12/2022 21:39

MolkosTeenageAngst · 04/12/2022 20:21

It’s a swan. We’re coming up to a time of year where most of the country are going to be dining on turkey, chicken, goose, duck etc. I don’t see the killing of one bird by a vet as a particularly big deal and I would think the vet would be more qualified to decide whether the swan has bird flu than you would be. If the swan did have bird flu it could have passed it on to hundreds of other birds who would eventually die so it’s better to euthanise to reduce that possibility and it sounds like the swan was old anyway and had a dodgy neck so was past his prime. I guess if you liked watching him it’s a bit of a shame but wild animals die every day in much sadder circumstances, it definitely doesn’t warrant a thread or media attention.

This.

TheTartfulLodger · 04/12/2022 21:41

It's just a bird. Away with your favouritism!

FirewomanSam · 04/12/2022 21:47

I can’t work out what the “someone” in inverted commas in your post is supposed to imply? Are you suggested someone maliciously reported the swan’s wonky neck to get him put down? Why?

SarahAndQuack · 04/12/2022 21:54

It's far from clear, from your post, why you think the vet decided to have the swan put down purely because his beck was wonky. Can you answer? There have been quite a lot of us asking.

I think if the vet did decide purely based on that, it's a shame and very natural you feel sad. But, bird flu is really dangerous, and animals are culled for all sorts of reasons on the grounds that we're better safe than sorry. I can see why the vet may have felt it was necessary.

Croftboft · 04/12/2022 22:00

LoveMyPiano · 04/12/2022 20:20

They said his wonky neck was a sign of it.
He has had a wonky neck for over eight years.

The vet discussed how they came to the diagnosis with you?

Original poster
LoveMyPiano · 04/12/2022 23:10

God, this place is horrible.

I think I actually prefer talking to myself.

Or animals.

OP posts:
justgettingthroughtheday · 04/12/2022 23:24

I can understand why your upset. But for context this morning I walked around the lake in front of where I am currently living. There were 4 dead ducks in the water. Two of them were white ducks so easily identifiable. They looked perfectly healthy yesterday afternoon. More are likely to die in the coming days. It's impossible to tell which ones are infected. The park have put signs up warning people to stay away from them.

luxxlisbon · 05/12/2022 09:10

FirewomanSam · 04/12/2022 21:47

I can’t work out what the “someone” in inverted commas in your post is supposed to imply? Are you suggested someone maliciously reported the swan’s wonky neck to get him put down? Why?

Agree, very weird. It’s coming across like OP thinks there was a big conspiracy to kill this swan with “someone” apparently fake reporting bird flu and then the vet and the RSPCA wanting to put him down too.

Bird flu is absolutely rife, it’s unlikely the vet felt any need to give a full breakdown of the symptoms and diagnosis of the swan to the OP considering she wasn’t really part of this, most likely it’s just a swan who had bird flu.

swg1 · 05/12/2022 09:41

Dibbydoos · 04/12/2022 20:35

People with covid didn't get put down. People with TB dint get put down. People with disabilities don't get put down. Stop thinking people are anything other than just an animal.

OP I think way humans decide on matters like this is barbaric. He might have had bird flu, and obviously right now we dont want that spreading even more widely esp as it can jump to himans, so let's find a cure and treat animals like we do humans.

Show quote history

The thing is humans have capacity to realise they are ill and take steps. If I am ill I can seek medical care. If I suspect I or my child has a notifiable disease I can be responsible, stay inside, and quarantine us. Birds don't have that capacity and right now, particularly amongst waterfowl, bird flu is rife. That's why domestic fowl are actually being treated as humans were in COVID and locked down, but how are you going to tell a swan not to socialise with other birds?

Passthecheeseboard · 05/12/2022 09:48

This is really sad… I love swans 😢

FirewomanSam · 05/12/2022 09:50

My question honestly wasn’t meant to be horrible. It really was a genuine question. I can completely understand why you’re so upset, it sounds like the poor swan was horribly treated and the whole thing was really badly handled. However, I genuinely can’t understand what you’re implying in your post when you say things like “someone” and “strangers”.

Maybe I’m misinterpreting your use of the quotation marks but to me those imply that you’re suggesting something more sinister was at work or that things aren’t as they seem, and I feel like I’m missing something because it’s not clear to me what you think was really behind it all, in that case. It sounds like you’re saying the RSPCA or the vet or someone else deliberately set out to get the swan killed but I don’t understand why that would be the case?

Original poster
LoveMyPiano · 05/12/2022 10:43

The " " are because I don't now who the person was, and - admittedly - nor do I personally know what diagnostic steps were taken (other people do).
I do not mean to imply that there was a conspiracy to kill the swan - what I am saying, and many people believe, is that mistakes wre made through haste and possible icompetence.... and that the individual contacted the RSPCA, looking unwell due to his neck, cannot possibly have known anything about him, as the neck shape is normal for him - and that is a guiding principle in assessing well-being.
Fact remains - swan is dead, and probably should not be.

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 05/12/2022 10:46

I think it's a bit odd you've posted this hoping the DM or similar will get incensed on your behalf.

If you feel the vet killed a, Swan without good reason, report them.

SleepingStandingUp · 05/12/2022 10:47

And if you were close enough to know why this person had called the Nspcc etc, why didn't you speak up and explain his neck to the vet?

Blossomtoes · 05/12/2022 10:47

The pair of swans that lived here and all their cygnets died of bird flu early in the summer.

MrsSkylerWhite · 05/12/2022 10:50

Upsetting yes but I find it difficult to believe that a vet would make a diagnosis simply on the basis of a wonky neck.
If the swan had avian ‘flu, he would have suffered greatly.

BamBamBilla · 05/12/2022 10:57

No luck catching them swans then

Original poster
LoveMyPiano · 05/12/2022 11:02

SleepingStandingUp · 05/12/2022 10:46

I think it's a bit odd you've posted this hoping the DM or similar will get incensed on your behalf.

If you feel the vet killed a, Swan without good reason, report them.

It's a pretty vain hope - and I hardly read the Daily Mail.
But at least I am transparent about it.

As I said, the swans were pretty "famous", having been on Countryfile and been reported by the BBC when they were shot and one of them killed.

OP posts:
malmi · 05/12/2022 11:31

Just trying to work out why this outrage doesn't quite land with people.

Either you're a vegan/vegetarian/animal rights believer and the unnecessary destruction of animal life is genuinely distressing to you, In which case, the thousands of birds routinely slaughtered for food are all equally valued and the death of this swan is a drop in the ocean.

Or, you're not a vegan/vegetarian/animal rights believer, and therefore the focus on this one "celebrity swan" is somewhat hypocritical, because you don't fundamentally believe there's anything wrong with killing a bird when it's for the right reasons. At least, it is in the same category as outrage over the removal of a locally significant tree or landmark building, which is a shame but really worth being outraged about, as it was never your personal property in the first place.

Pieministers · 05/12/2022 11:35

So you think a bird with avian flu should have been allowed to continue infecting other birds? You’re as bad as some of the idiots around here who post hand-wringing over-emotional posts on local Facebook groups about the swans (which they give names to, ffs) then ignore all the DEFRA advice because they think they know better.

FirewomanSam · 05/12/2022 11:40

LoveMyPiano · 05/12/2022 10:43

The " " are because I don't now who the person was, and - admittedly - nor do I personally know what diagnostic steps were taken (other people do).
I do not mean to imply that there was a conspiracy to kill the swan - what I am saying, and many people believe, is that mistakes wre made through haste and possible icompetence.... and that the individual contacted the RSPCA, looking unwell due to his neck, cannot possibly have known anything about him, as the neck shape is normal for him - and that is a guiding principle in assessing well-being.
Fact remains - swan is dead, and probably should not be.

Ah ok, thank you for explaining. I think maybe, like me, people are getting confused because using “ “ like that normally means something quite different to how you seem to be using it here. You’re angry that the swan was killed through incompetence and that people who actually knew about the swan weren’t consulted before action was taken. That makes total sense. I felt like your post was trying to hint at something else and it came across a bit strange but that was just a misunderstanding.

AllotmentTime · 05/12/2022 11:49

How do you have all this information OP?

It would help if you could explain how you know that the bird had no other symptoms than his usual neck, and that the vet wasn’t qualified.

Because tbh reading this sounds to me like other birds in the area have hopefully been saved, because this swan with bird flu has been (sadly) put down.

Or do you know for sure that the swan didn’t have bird flu?

loveramadan · 05/12/2022 11:50

That is sad to know. Poor swan! I wonder where you live? We have a lovely swan couple near us on a small river with seven babies who have grown the size that you put picture of. However I saw them last in summer so not sure if they are still around!

Original poster
LoveMyPiano · 05/12/2022 12:09

malmi · 05/12/2022 11:31

Just trying to work out why this outrage doesn't quite land with people.

Either you're a vegan/vegetarian/animal rights believer and the unnecessary destruction of animal life is genuinely distressing to you, In which case, the thousands of birds routinely slaughtered for food are all equally valued and the death of this swan is a drop in the ocean.

Or, you're not a vegan/vegetarian/animal rights believer, and therefore the focus on this one "celebrity swan" is somewhat hypocritical, because you don't fundamentally believe there's anything wrong with killing a bird when it's for the right reasons. At least, it is in the same category as outrage over the removal of a locally significant tree or landmark building, which is a shame but really worth being outraged about, as it was never your personal property in the first place.

I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I do, and shoud probably no have sought other opinions. Ho hum.
I probably worded it in an unsuitable manner as well.
I personally have very srong beliefs about animals, creatures, earthlings even... and I do personally know these swans, and they have names (to whoever though that was silly), which predate my meeting them a few years ago. It has been a highlight of my bike rides alng the canal (which is not a busy place in the winter) to meet them, and have them approach me.

Everywhere has their local stoories of interest, and this was spread more widely as a news item when they were shot whilst sitting on eggs. Further up the canal, a swan at the reservoir that feeds this canal, one of the swans was killed by a dog - the male of a family of them. Many people were distressd by this, and it was actually reported in the local newspaper.

I actually DO strongly care about the land and landscape - and am at this time enquiring of the Forestry Cmmission why a swathe of trees have been chopped at half-mast along the edge of Sherwood Forest. Call me a tree-hugger if you like. But we really do need them.

AND also, I care about the loss of countryside and Green Belt to housing withb no infrasructure to support and narrow countryside roads that will not be able to cope, which is happening a lot near me.

I am almost glad that I will be gone soon.

OP posts: