Are Swans being unreasonable?

[Glittercloud17]

Genuine question: Are Swans Being Unreasonable?

Has anyone ever actually had their arm broken by a swan? It’s something we have all said at some point, but has it ever actually happened to you or anyone you know?

🦢

I have to push my way through hoards of swans and geese who line the footpath by the river first thing in the morning. They flap at me, but haven’t so far broken my arm!

There used to be a swan in Cambridge called Mr ASBO.

He was constantly being unreasonable. They'd always move him along up the river, but he'd come back to cause more trouble every time.

How traumatic. I think I'd emotionally recover better having my arm broken by a swan. This post alone confirms that swans are indeed unreasonable.

I’ve never tried grabbing one so 🤷‍♂️

I’ve also seen a swan trying to drown goslings before. A man waded into the pond and tried to intervene by hitting the swan with a bunch of flowers he happened to have…

Swans ABVU
just try turning an eight in a tight turning pool & getting it between the swans & the cygnets- they charge the boat & aim for the unarmed cox!

I THINK THE SWAN MY FRIEND BOLLOCKED WAS MR ASBO

*The all caps was a deliberate decision to convey my wild excitement

Let's be honest - a swift kick like that could break your jaw, never mind your arm.

A local house had a flock of guard geese when I was a teenager. Terrifying if you needed to pass through the lane that ran past as I did on my way to my Saturday job.

Plus I was attacked and bitten by an Andean goose at the local Wildfowl trust.

Swans have always been good to me.

A friend came round the corner of an ait in her kayak and didn’t see the swans on the other side - she didn’t come close or run into them, the first she knew was being whacked hard on her back by one following fast and giving her a good pecking. It wasn’t even cygnet season. The bruising was quite something.

Me and my grandad were attacked by a Canadian goose when I was a young child. Swans never seemed so scary after that. Except one time on the towpath in Windsor when I was surrounded on all sides by the fuckers looking to mug me for food. They were even in the water so I couldn't save myself by jumping in either.

My little dog got swiped round the face by a swan. She wasn't bothering it just hoovering up some bird seed that someone had sprinkled for them ! They do get quite agressive/ hissing at out local country park and block the path in their little gangs. I just walk through and tell them to move and that they don't own the place. They generally oblige.

My cousin’s best friend’s next door neighbour’s dad’s dog-sitter’s teacher’s nephew had his arm broken by a swan 😉😅

DH's work colleague did have his arm broken by a swan attack while they were at work. I don't know exactly how his arm got broken, directly or as a consequence of the fall, but it definitely happened when the swan attacked him.

I had a boss who had his arm broken being attacked by a swan.

It was because of him staggering backwards in fright rather than through karate-esque flailing on the swan’s part, so it doesn’t match your brief… funnny though

I really dislike (not hate , that's too strong a word ) Geese/Swans/Ducks .
Not scared of them just a strong and rational dislike .

So as not to taint my DC brains with my tardiness we took them to local swan ponds etc.
On holiday ( pre school age ) we went to a Swan Sanctuary in Dorset .
All the advice about giving them space etc. Swans will foster orphan cygnets the same age as their own ( very reasonable birds )
When they fed them , anyone who wanted to was invited through the gate to pick up some grain from their wheelbarrow .

We moved away from the gate .......but my DS ( little sod) clamboured through the fence and hotfooted it over to The Swans .
No fear obvs !

He didn't break anything , I aged 10 years .

They mate for life. No LTB on Swansnet.

And they are ace at blending families -
No DSC (Dearest Step Cygnets )issues , the females will take on a cygnet in need with their own.

Still don;t like them though !

We have a swan in our garden who’s an absolute arsehole. He chases us as soon as he sees us. He’s a young male and pretty massive. I really hope he finds a mate soon to distract him from terrorising us.

A very long time ago my dad and his friend were playing with their boats on the lake and a swan broke his friends arm. So we’ve always had the warning.

also not climbing up a slide due to bad family experience

now climbing up a slide with a swan at the top - that’s dangerous

If swans can't really break a man's arm then it's been an amazing PR campaign by Big Waterfowl - nobody even considers messing with a swan. I reckon the police could learn a lesson or two from them.

ETA - love this thread, it reminds me of MN in the olden days.

Tbf I think if we replaced the police with swans things would definitely improve pretty quickly

I was bitten by the "bread knife" serrated beak of a swan as a kid on the Norfolk Broads! It was just hungry for the bread I was holding, but thankfully didn't try to engage me in any other kind of combat! I think my own squawking about being bitten put it off! 🤣

I’m proper laughing at this thread!

I was once running, turned a corner to join the canal tow path and there was a swan on the canal. It’s nest and (I assume) Mrs Swan were on the opposite side of the canal. It came straight over and did that scary pose. I ran back round the corner and hid. I looked back after a couple of minutes and it was waiting for me! In the end I took a detour along the road and joined the canal further down. I wasn’t prepared to mess with a swan!

That’s hilarious! 😆