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Man drowns in pond being attacked by Swans!!!

post #1 of 14
4/16/12 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 

Check out this news story... Are swans really this crazy?

 

An Illinois man drowned in a pond at an apartment complex early Saturday after he was apparently attacked by some swans he cared for, authorities said.

Anthony Hensley, 37, worked for a company that used swans and dogs to keep geese from destroying the grounds at the Bay Colony Drive condos in Des Plaines, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The married father of two was in a kayak checking on the swans early Saturday when one of the large birds came after him, causing the craft to tip over, witnesses and authorities said.

As Hensley tried to make it to shore, the swan — and maybe others — continued to circle him and may have attacked him or blocked his path.

"They probably thought that he was going too close to their eggs, and they were too scared, and they just attacked him," witness Daniel Gamanov told CBS Chicago



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/illinois-man-drowns-pond-freak-encounter-swans-article-1.1062266#ixzz1sDXqzLSK

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/illinois-man-drowns-pond-freak-encounter-swans-article-1.1062266

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post #2 of 14
4/16/12 at 8:30am

Wow, that is tragic!  Poor young father.......

Proud owner of some nice show quality Buckeyes and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks.  I love gardening and being outdoors.  I'm lucky to have a great family, and two cute dogs.  I live out in the country on six wooded acres and it's just paradise!  (Except the mortgage payment and bills, of course)

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Proud owner of some nice show quality Buckeyes and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks.  I love gardening and being outdoors.  I'm lucky to have a great family, and two cute dogs.  I live out in the country on six wooded acres and it's just paradise!  (Except the mortgage payment and bills, of course)

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post #3 of 14
4/16/12 at 8:42am

Swans can be very aggressive when defending their nests. In the water, a man would be "smaller" than they were, so yes, I can see it happening. Tragic, indeed.

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post #4 of 14
4/16/12 at 8:42am

Tragic!

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President of the Welsummer Club of North America & BYC Member since 4/11/2002 and Appenzeller Spitzhaubens

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post #5 of 14
4/16/12 at 8:44am

RIP.

 BFFs: Rebecca , Erin, Cortney, <3ChickenForever, Isabel, Olivia, and Tatiana. 99.999% of girls would die if Justin Bieber appeared at their doorstep and asked for a date. If your that 0.0001% Who's wiping blood from your fist, put this in your siggy.

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 BFFs: Rebecca , Erin, Cortney, <3ChickenForever, Isabel, Olivia, and Tatiana. 99.999% of girls would die if Justin Bieber appeared at their doorstep and asked for a date. If your that 0.0001% Who's wiping blood from your fist, put this in your siggy.

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post #6 of 14
4/16/12 at 9:01am
When I lived in England I knew a woman who was training for a triathlon at a large lake. That was her one fear - swans had been known to sometimes drown children. I always thought it was somewhat unlikely for an adult....but if you think about being in waterlogged clothes and having to swim a distance with a heavy bird biting you and beating you with its wings it's certainly possible. We humans aren't at our best in water.
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post #7 of 14
4/16/12 at 9:52am
So sad. The man must not have been a very good swimmer or something..sad.png
He also probably didn't want to harm the swans...so grabbing one and breaking its neck or something probably never even crossed his mind.

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I prefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie. If someone is telling me the truth that is when i will give my heart. ~ Jack Nicholson 

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post #8 of 14
4/16/12 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 

I thought swans were supposed to be peacful and calm birds... and geese were the crazy mean ones...

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention,
sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents
the wise choice of many alternatives." -Author Disputed
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"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention,
sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents
the wise choice of many alternatives." -Author Disputed
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post #9 of 14
4/16/12 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abobwhat View Post

I thought swans were supposed to be peacful and calm birds... and geese were the crazy mean ones...

Swans can be dangerous.  I've heard of them pulling large dogs into water to drown them.  

 

That poor guy and his grieving family.    

 

I'm thinking that maybe the water temp & muscle cramps could have contributed, plus it'd be difficult fighting to just survive under the "best" of conditions after inhaling water, no less also trying to fight something off at that same time.    

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post #10 of 14
4/16/12 at 1:20pm

That is so tragic, that poor man and his family.

 

Swans are aggressive, that's why a lot of places have them to keep the geese away. 

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