Run-In with Swan Leaves Man Dead

[marmar]

The family of an Illinois man grappled with confusion and grief this weekend after a run-in with an angry swan left the father of two dead.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Anthony Hensley, 37, drowned in a pond after paddling his kayak too close to a swan or a swan’s nest. He worked for a company that uses swans and dogs to keep flocks of geese away.

The territorial nature of the swans, however, seemed to turn against Hensley as he checked on birds at a pond in a Des Plaines-area condominium complex.

Police believe one of the birds knocked Hensley from his kayak after he came too close, and then continued to attack as he struggled to get out of the water. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/news/2012/04/16/run-in-with-swan-leaves-man-dead/?cid=hero_media

[ZombieHorde]

1. Some people think we need to rid the world of pit bulls, but swans

are the real danger.

[appleannie1]

2. He probably got too close to a nesting female. Male geese are the same way this time of year.

They become super protective of the female while she is on the nest. We have a pair of geese that return to our pond every year and we cannot even cut the grass while she is nesting. On the day the goslings hatch the pair brings them right up to the door of the house to be fed. They are wild geese but know we are friendly and feed them. But during nesting season, do not go near.

[Cleita]

3. Swans are meaner than hell. I always kept my distance from them when playing in a park

when I was a child that had a lake with swans in it. If you got too close to the lake they came after you screeching and with wings flapping and there are stories of people they had injured in the past. They are pretty to look at though.

[southernyankeebelle]

4. Honestly I don't know any animal that isn't protective of its babies. I had a female dog that was

so friendly with everyone until she had pups. The only ones that could come near them was me and my sister. No one else in the family could come neart them not even the other dogs in the family.

[fightforfreedom123]

5. Stay. Away. From. The. Goose. And. Geese.

Geeze.

:Sigh:

[progressoid]

6. Mr. Peter Ian Staker

[mainer]

9. I love that movie!

Esp. the scene where they need an interpreter to understand another Englishman's accent.

[frankroberts]

7. how sad....

this is a totally bizarre world. who could imagine?

[elfin]

8. They are dangerous other than nesting times

Once, in mid- summer, my 6 year old son was at our shoreline and 4 swans decided to come ashore, flapping their huge wings. I screamed at my son to RUN up to the cottage. They are HELL on people on Waveriders in our nearby river, who are on the main waterway and not near the baby swans. I do hate Jetskis, but not that much. An angry swan can break a boater's neck, if that boater is close enough to the water.

Some of the incidents seem to be from their rage at not being fed bread or chips, as too many stupid people like to do.

[NV Whino]

10. I had a goose attack me once

I was walking in Golden Gate Park one rainy March day when he/she came after me. Had to beat the damned thing off with my umbrella. Then, having escaped the goose, I had to beat off the squirrels who kept trying to climb up my pant leg. It was an interesting day.

[1monster]

11. There were geese on the farm where I grew up. We children knew to get

well clear of the area when the geese decided to take a walk out of the barn yard and down the driveway.

They were scary! for sure.