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 shouldn’t like to find out, they’re fast bastards and definitely don’t listen to reason…don’t try to escape from one while you’re in a kayak

🤣🤣

I thought it was your leg lol have constantly told my 4 year old not to go near them as their wings can break your leg 😂😂😂😂 i know it’s an old Wife’s tale but still I grew up thinking they were dangerous 😂

No LTB? At all? Even if their mate screamed in the Sistine chapel or did t rex in the supermarket? Or even worse, snapped and farted during yoga?

I've seen someone being attacked by a swan and I did know someone growing up who managed to get their arm broken by one.

I think you have to be pretty idiotic to achieve this though. They can get very defensive if you go near their nests so people trying to steal eggs or touch chicks are usually chased and pecked. Most sensible people back off when the swan starts looking aggressive.

Swans, geese and ducks are all weird. They waddle along looking like they should have arms.

I don't mean weaponry. Arms like avian versions of people arms.

I saw a Swan kill a duckling a few years ago. It was genuinely harrowing and I still feel so bad for that duckling.

Also, one of the park lakes that I used to visit daily had three swans. A couple and another male swan. One day we found the third wheel Swan dead and ripped to shreds. I don't have proof but we always suspected the other two swans.

I got accosted by a swan many years ago whilst camping at a national trust campsite in the Lake District on the shores of said Lake
Swan decided it wanted our food which I was cooking at the time and gave me a very nasty peck/arm wrestle! No bones broken but bruises and abrasions
DD was primary school age at the time and witnessed it all - she is now in her 30s and has a phobia about swans
I am more forgiving but give them a wide berth

Nature is cruel.
We saw a crane diving down to take off, one by one, a family of ducklings. He managed to take the lot.
I cried.😥

How did it break his arm? I need details in order to believe the swan is capable of a wrestling manoeuvre

They have ruined Golders Hill Park.

No, no, no. Swans are very tolerant. Mind you, being able to fly off is a distinct advantage.

Just be aware that the King owns all mute swans in open waters, so no nonsense with them or you'll get a sharp massive from Sandringham.

Well I wasn’t there but my understanding was that he was reaching into get his boat away from the swan and it went for him pecking and hitting and my grandad had to get it off him with a stick. Exciting stuff.

he was a child though so perhaps easier to break an arm

I just went to see my local Mr and Mrs Swan. I was hoping they might have babies (none yet).
Their patch of water where they hang out was full of rubbish. Floating carrier bags. Loads of plastic bottles.
Urgh.
If I was a swan I think I'd quite enjoy breaking the arms of humans.

Flying away from farts in a confined space like a yoga class would be a very advantageous superpower.

I feed my local swans, the male by hand but they are always miserable. Always fighting ducks, pecking each other and hissing. They need to chill out and cheer up. No broken arms but I was told a few years back that one had drowned a small dog who swam out too near the cygnets, possibly an urban myth but possible.

I still haven’t forgiven pelicans for eating pigeons tbh

My mum's dog managed to catch and injure a crow.
A load of crows came out of nowhere... all cawing etc.
They surrounded the injured crow and ripped it to shreds.

Savage

Christ 😲

Nature is cruel. I saw something awful on safari which still hits me when I think of it but I have to remind myself not to anthropomorphise animals.

we had ducklings at my school and the mother duck managed to lose one,2 run over, 2 eaten by foxes and she was left with one. Apparently ducks are hopeless parents though

Hamburg in Germany adores its swans and puts them into a safe area during the winter months. The swans know the drill and stay calm during the trip on the boats.

Care to share?