Attacked by a Swan and i feel guilty

mikew

mikew

Messages
5,548
Name
mike
Edit My Images
Yes
My wife and I sitting on a bench, she was feeding Potatoes to the Swans and i was watching the birds on the lake, felt this sudden pain and my right hand was being pulled and twisted, the guilty part is I reacted without thinking, I slapped the Swan on the side of his head with the flat of my hand.
He released my hand stared at me for a few seconds then waddled off.
He did come back but only to my wife not anywhere near me, the back of my hand looks like its been through a mangle, bruised nearly all the way across, bet I have a lot more bruising than he does.

I know I wasn't attacked as such he just thought my hand was a potato but it bloody hurt at the time.
 
No need to feel guilty mike ,it could have been a child it grabbed , with the parents then screaming all over faceberk about killer swans and demanding a cull .
Hopefully that will teach it to be more carefull around humans
 
Hand feeding a wild animal ? You should have known that always carries a risk.
Never know, but you may prove to be the first person in the world to get rabies from a swan bite. :eek:
 
It is one downside to feeding the wildlife and hopefully your hand will be AOK soon.

Though on another level the Chacma Baboons at Cape Point in SA are a real menace whose behaviour stems from folk feeding them. They have become habituated on humans being a prime source of food resulting in the need for rangers with catapults to drive them off. They don't just take food by menaces :(
 
Box Brownie said:
It is one downside to feeding the wildlife and hopefully your hand will be AOK soon.

Though on another level the Chacma Baboons at Cape Point in SA are a real menace whose behaviour stems from folk feeding them. They have become habituated on humans being a prime source of food resulting in the need for rangers with catapults to drive them off. They don't just take food by menaces :(
Click to expand...

Baboons are a menace wherever people feed them. They quickly associate humans with food, as you say, and are potentially dangerous. I've seen some graphic signs in some of the national parks warning 'You feed, we shoot'.

Vervet monkeys can become a pest too. They're a lot smaller but can still deliver a bad bite, and my son had a bit of a fright when he was about four. We were at Clouds End (northern SA, close to the Zim border) when a female with a baby scampered across the grass and grabbed a packet of chips out of his hand!
 
Its just one of those things that happens now and again. I'm guessing the swan was used to being fed and, as you say, Mike mistook your hand for food. They are strong animals (they go around breaking peoples arms with their wings, you know:)) and clearly it was unharmed.

On the subject of baboons. Why does anyone feed them? Have they ever seen their teeth? Do they really want something as fast, strong, with a brain and those teeth anywhere near them.

I have heard of places where baboons and humans interact peacefully but the rule is absolutely no feeding. Seems a far better idea - get to see the animals without risk to yourself and without the possibility the animal has to shot because people have made it too familiar

Sorry I've hijacked the thread.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Its just one of those things that happens now and again. I'm guessing the swan was used to being fed and, as you say, Mike mistook your hand for food. They are strong animals (they go around breaking peoples arms with their wings, you know:)) and clearly it was unharmed.

On the subject of baboons. Why does anyone feed them? Have they ever seen their teeth? Do they really want something as fast, strong, with a brain and those teeth anywhere near them.

I have heard of places where baboons and humans interact peacefully but the rule is absolutely no feeding. Seems a far better idea - get to see the animals without risk to yourself and without the possibility the animal has to shot because people have made it too familiar

Sorry I've hijacked the thread.

Dave
Click to expand...

Not another repeat of the old wives tale......:LOL: :(
 
Good job the OP's a Mike not a Michaela - might have caught bird flu...
 
A little anecdote about feeding swans or rather them helping their selves.
Years ago, 3 of us were sitting quite close together fishing a reservoir, it was a bloody cold day, but we were catching so it didn't matter.
We had a large bucket of ground bait, and a large bucket of maggots quite close by.
A swan wandered to shore, spent a few minutes with its snout in the maggot bucket, then a few minutes in the ground bait bucket.
We weren't brave enough to "shoo" a full grown swan, so we just let it carry on.
A few minutes after that, it wandered behind us, and went to sleep for the rest of the day !
I'm assuming it was grateful for the food and the "Windbreak" :D
 
At a pool I used to fish the voles and shrews would climb up you if you sat still.

The rats were much more shy, even though they were huge.

To the OP - I know what you mean, I would feel a bit guilty, but no harm done and, as mentioned, you might have done it a favour.
 
Last edited:
Box Brownie said:
Not another repeat of the old wives tale......:LOL: :(
Click to expand...

That's why I put the smiley face. I haven't heard it for many years but I recall it was a general comment made many years ago about how folks should be careful being around swans.

I just love the idea these great birds are gently cruising lakes looking for humans whose arms they can break.

Dave
 
Soz you got mistaken for a snack Mike.

We often feed the birds but the worst I've had is my trousers tugged from behind to get me to turn around and feed them. I've just about convinced myself they understand me as they seem to understand "Sorry guys, it's all gone" along with an upturned bag and gestures :D Mrs WW is more nervous and stands back.
 
woof woof said:
the worst I've had is my trousers tugged from behind to get me to turn around and feed them
Click to expand...
The worst I've had, I was leaning on a pelican enclosure fence, trying to get "the shot" when one waddled up and start to "Bat" my hand with its bill.
Next thing my arm, up to the elbow was in its mouth, no harm done, the pelican lived (y)
I had a very soggy arm though :D
 
Cobra said:
The worst I've had, I was leaning on a pelican enclosure fence, trying to get "the shot" when one waddled up and start to "Bat" my hand with its bill.
Next thing my arm, up to the elbow was in its mouth, no harm done, the pelican lived (y)
I had a very soggy arm though :D
Click to expand...

hahaha i bet that was a sight
 
KitsuneAndy said:
hahaha i bet that was a sight
Click to expand...
It happened so fast too :D
A small crowd, gathered they also thought it was funny perhaps they thought it would continue "eating" :D
 
Cobra said:
It happened so fast too :D
A small crowd, gathered they also thought it was funny perhaps they thought it would continue "eating" :D
Click to expand...

I hope it didn't actually hurt, I can imagine it was quite bewildering though
 
KitsuneAndy said:
I hope it didn't actually hurt
Click to expand...
It really didn't and not a scratch. I suppose the closest I could say was it like shoving my arm into a massive bowl of jelly. ( cold and sticky )
KitsuneAndy said:
I can imagine it was quite bewildering though
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I certainly couldn't believe what was happening.
My one regret, Unfortunately the person I was with was laughing so much, that, they never got the shot
:D
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top