Have you ever been bitten by a swan

There is a cafe I like near a harbour and the harbour has a population of swans, people often feed them so they are use to people and often come up to people having I suppose associated people with food. I'm a bit wary of them while I am sure they wouldn't savage anyone they look like they might bit?

Google is trowing up contradictory information, so had anyone every been bitten by a swan.

longshanks

No.

Mr.Crinklewood

longshanks wrote: »

No.

They must have good taste.

failinis

No but I have been pecked and wing slapped by a protective mother swan.

Feeding them should be fine (make sure it is food that is good for swans) and that you do not encroach on young ones.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/m/muteswan/feeding.aspx

Alf Stewart.

mariaalice wrote: »

There is a cafe I like near a harbour and the harbour has a population of swans, people often feed them so they are use to people and often come up to people having I suppose associated people with food. I'm a bit wary of them while I am sure they wouldn't savage anyone they look like they might bit?

Google is trowing up contradictory information, so had anyone every been bitten by a swan.

Is it by the port in Amsterdam?

Is it called the Red Rose?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have been nipped by many swans while handling them. They can be aggressive when protecting their young and common sense would suggest giving them space when the cygnets are close by. Generally though, they are no danger.

Akrasia

They'll give plenty of warning before they attack. Unless you're completely oblivious or are acting the maggot around their cygnets you've got nothing to worry about.

IvyTheTerrible

No. My brother was coming out of a shop one day, and a swan fell dead out of the sky right in front of him. Said he could feel it's feathers brushing his face it was that close! Dangerous yokes.

Widdershins

As others say, don't give them any reason to feel threatened. I don't know about biting but their wings are powerful enough to break a human's arm, or so I have heard.

maybe I am just a scardy cat, but I see people letting their toddlers trow food for them and I think say the swans rushed the child to get the food and knocked it over.

B0jangles

Yeah, I've been accidentally nipped a good few times by swans reaching for food I was giving them and it's nothing - a mild pinch is about the worst you'll get.

setanta1984

You feed beefburgers to swans.

Outlaw Pete

A myth was circulated (by worried parents in an attempt tp stop kids getting to close to them) many moons ago, that they were mad dangerous and a slap from their wings would break your arm etc, but there's not a bit of truth to it.

Quite often have swan for lunch. Bit chewy.

Stigura

Bitten by, let me see ..... Chimpanzee. Mole. Swan. Pit Bull. Hedgehog. Small, working terrier. I could probably go on.

Believe me; I'd rather be smothered in swan food and thrown to them than I ever would face another mole bite.

The thing about swans wings breaking human bones is an urban myth older than even urban areas.

Swans dropping out of the sky though? Ye wouldn't want to be under one.

Akrasia

Stigura wrote: »

Bitten by, let me see ..... Chimpanzee. Mole. Swan. Pit Bull. Hedgehog. Small, working terrier. I could probably go on.

Believe me; I'd rather be smothered in swan food and thrown to them than I ever would face another mole bite.

The thing about swans wings breaking human bones is an urban myth older than even urban areas.

Swans dropping out of the sky though? Ye wouldn't want to be under one.

They're mad for the power lines. I've seen a few of them get zapped....

Hold on a minute, why did you get bitten by a mole?

Stigura

Akrasia wrote: »

Hold on a minute, why did you get bitten by a mole?

Yeah. Had a couple hit the lines here

Mole? It burst out of the ground and, like a complete carrot, I instinctively grabbed the bloody thing! Never trying that again!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Stigura wrote: »

Yeah. Had a couple hit the lines here

Mole? It burst out of the ground and, like a complete carrot, I instinctively grabbed the bloody thing! Never trying that again!

Not in Ireland obviously.

ToddyDoody

Bitten, no. Shouted at, yes.

Junkyard Tom

A fella I know was mauled by one and had his leg broken by its thrashing wing. I guess it serves him right for trying to take a selfie with it.

maudgonner

Swans no.


Geese though - they can be grumpy, hissy, contrary feckers who will chase you and do their damnedest to take a lump out of you. (Goslings are awfully cute though).

Shint0

I was driving by the canal one day on the Parnell Road/ Dolphin Road stretch. One had come out on the road and it seemed to be in a bit of a daze and going wild. I couldn't get past it but there was no way I was getting out to deal with it or move it on. I would have been too nervous around it so I had to wait for the next car that came along. Finally someone managed to get it off the road. When it comes to birds I have to act the damsel in distress.

Stigura

Lukas Powerful Mortar wrote: »

Not in Ireland obviously.

I think it might have made it onto the internet, if it had been .....

the evasion_kid

Attacked a few times whilst fishing...I always thought they were supposed to be graceful creatures..

cml387

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

A fella I know was mauled by one and had his leg broken by its thrashing wing. I guess it serves him right for trying to take a selfie with it.

Moles have wings? A bit awkward to use underground I would have thought.

Shenshen

Not bitten, but chased away by them. I was on a little inflatable boat thing, paddling about on the river together with one of my brothers and I suspect we got a bit close to their nest. They're bloody impressive when they're angry.

I've also been chased by geese on my aunt's farm.
I avoid big, white birds these days.

wakka12

Ive been bitten but only because i put my hand near ones face to see its reaction. Just a sore nip, nothing major. They wont bit unless provoked and you'd have to be very close to them to get bitten. And even if you provoked them and were close enough for them to bite you could easily kick with a heavy show and that'd stop them, the only place it'd hurt is on open skin and something they can get their little beak around like side of hand or a finger

Akrasia

Shint0 wrote: »

I was driving by the canal one day on the Parnell Road/ Dolphin Road stretch. One had come out on the road and it seemed to be in a bit of a daze and going wild. I couldn't get past it but there was no way I was getting out to deal with it or move it on. I would have been too nervous around it so I had to wait for the next car that came along. Finally someone managed to get it off the road. When it comes to birds I have to act the damsel in distress.

it probably just had an encounter with some power lines. They're big enough that they can survive it but haven't seen those esb safety ads on tv so they literally don't know what hit them.

Discodog

I have rescued lots of swans & never been bitten. I put them in a Swan bag to prevent them flapping their wings.

The breaking an arm bit is a myth. There has never been a recorded case of it happening.

They can nip you if aren't careful feeding them. They will get seriously threatening protecting young.

Diemos

Yes, in Dublin zoo as a child.
My parents took a photo of me whailing.

Vizzy

EndaIsMyDealer wrote: »

Where do you buy swan meat?

Give HRH a ring, she'd know.

Vizzy

Diemos wrote: »

Yes, in Dublin zoo as a child.
My parents took a photo of me whailing.

Did you get bitten by the whaile
as well ?

Donald Trump

Have I ever been bitten by a swan?

No, but I once told a donkey to fuck off.







Wait, actually I think I might have mixed up the joke/punchline

Rosie Rant

I was bitten while feeding a silly swan. I kept throwing the food on the ground right in front of her but she never saw it fall and kept looking at me for more. I held some out for her and she nipped my finger a little in her eagerness to get at the food.

It only hurt a little bit but her beak left this weird yellowy-orangey coating where she bit me. She just carried on eating when she finally spotted the food I dropped on the ground and didn't even apologise. Bitch.

Utdfan20titles

Shenshen wrote: »

I avoid big, white birds these days.

Stick to harlem nightclubs so

Kablamo!

Fell into one of the ponds in Stephens Green as a child and tried to grab a swan to use as a life buoy. Got a nasty nip from it.
Fell into a pond in Dublin Zoo shortly afterwards, and the same thing happened.
After that my mother wouldn't let my father bring me on any more unsupervised outings.

sbsquarepants

My son is 18 now, when he was a kid swans hated him with a passion.
I've literally lost count of the times he was chased by swans, hissed at, flapped at, pecked at etc.
Couldn't really bring him to feed the ducks like other toddlers cos the swans would go mental! Lasted till he was maybe 7 or 8 - very strange.
They're a little weary of him still, but the full on hatred has gone.

Irish Guitarist

I imagine the only people that get bitten by swans are idiots that harass them. I see children in the park feeding them bread, then they wonder why the swans are following them and start screaming at the top of their lungs and waving their arms around while the parents laugh rather than telling them to shut the fuck up. I've never seen anyone get bitten but these would be they type of morons that are most likely to.

I don't know how swans put up with the shit they do to be honest. I see kids running around screaming at them, teenagers throwing things at them and grabbing their bills, and worst of all idiots leaving fishing lines and hooks around to get caught in the swans throat. In return the swans get some mouldy bread.

yeppydeppy

Lukas Powerful Mortar wrote: »

I have been nipped by many swans while handling them. They can be aggressive when protecting their young and common sense would suggest giving them space when the cygnets are close by. Generally though, they are no danger.

What were you doing handling Swans?

_Godot_

No but I got chased by a couple of geese though.

sbsquarepants

yeppydeppy wrote: »

What were you doing handling Swans?

They're hardly going to walk into the oven now are they!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

yeppydeppy wrote: »

What were you doing handling Swans?

Part of my job in wildlife.

jackofalltrades

Haven't been bitten by a swan, I give them a bit of a wide berth like Geese.

Stigura wrote: »

Bitten by, let me see ..... Chimpanzee. Mole. Swan. Pit Bull. Hedgehog. Small, working terrier. I could probably go on.

Please do. That's quite a varied list.
How did you get bitten by a Chimpanzee? I presume you work in a zoo.

Akrasia

jackofalltrades wrote: »

Haven't been bitten by a swan, I give them a bit of a wide berth like Geese.
Please do. That's quite a varied list.
How did you get bitten by a Chimpanzee? I presume you work in a zoo.

He was wearing a chimpanzee costume to a costume party on a train, when he got mistaken for a real chimpanzee and put in with the cage of an actual chimpanzee that happened to also be on the train

The real chimpanzee thought he was sexy girl chimp and tried to get it on with him, but Stigura was having none of it.

Stigura

Stigura wrote: »

Bitten by, let me see ..... Chimpanzee. Mole. Swan. Pit Bull. Hedgehog. Small, working terrier. I could probably go on.

jackofalltrades wrote: »

Please do. That's quite a varied list.
How did you get bitten by a Chimpanzee? I presume you work in a zoo.

Visiting a zoo. This was back in the mists of time. When people had this weird and archaic notion of 'self responsibility'.

There was this big shed full of chimps. To one side was a door. And I noticed a small gap underneath it. So, like ye do, when ye an idiot, I stuck my finger under the gap.

And that's all she wrote. Bloody chimp, on the other side, clamped down on my offering and held fast. I stood there, feeling a bit of a fool. Couldn't move and was terrified that anyone might notice me. I mean, how embarrassing; Being found to have been stupid enough to try a stunt like that.

Luckily, el Chimpo decided my finger wasn't a banana after all and spat it out. I withdrew it, gratefully. Wrapped a hanky round it, to hide the blood. And got on with my day out.

No outrage. No demands for compensation. No body came and shot the chimp. Truth is, I simply never mentioned it from that day to this. We were like that, back then. Kim Kardashian hadn't even been born. And, I think, the world was a better place.

nelly17

My Brother in law was bullied off his sandwich by one in Bushy Park in Rathfarnham years ago, came over all flapping and hissing and he dropped his sambo so the swan made off with it.

Utdfan20titles

Stigura wrote: »

Kim Kardashian hadn't even been born. And, I think, the world was a better place.

This on its own makes sence

Bio Mech

sbsquarepants wrote: »

My son is 18 now, when he was a kid swans hated him with a passion.
I've literally lost count of the times he was chased by swans, hissed at, flapped at, pecked at etc.
Couldn't really bring him to feed the ducks like other toddlers cos the swans would go mental! Lasted till he was maybe 7 or 8 - very strange.
They're a little weary of him still, but the full on hatred has gone.

Pretty sure your son is the antichrist. Ever seen the omen?

maudgonner

Bio Mech wrote: »

Pretty sure your son is the antichrist. Ever seen the omen?

Dammit, you beat me to it! I'll wet myself if his name is Damien...

sbsquarepants

Bio Mech wrote: »

Pretty sure your son is the antichrist. Ever seen the omen?

You know what the thought has crossed my mind!:D

I'm sure you'll think I'm making this up, but I swear I'm not. There was actually a time when he was about 7 years old or so, when a nun who lived across the road splashed him with holy water and he ran off screaming that it burned!
The poor nun seemed very concerned by the whole episode.

I'm going to come out and say it myself - all the signs are there:eek:

JoeyJJ

Brother teased one as a child and was bitten on the knee area.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Never bitten by a swan,but I had a pelican try to swallow my head in the zoo once.
Little bastard leaned over the railing as I was feeding his friend and attempted to put my whole head in his bill.If they still had fangs I was fcuked.

Oh,and I had a goose hunt me down and bite me on the arse as a kid aswell.Bastard.