Are Swans REALLY dangerous?

Question

I just read a couple of articles talking about how the supposedly beautiful Swans are actually very dangerous... and how people should be careful and avoid them. They say they can bite and hit you with their "elbows" and try and drown you... Excuse me if I'm acting naive, but I'm pretty sure I could totally PWN any Swan that has the balls to come up and try and bite me with that little bill of his, or try and beat me to death with his wing. I mean, they have a very long neck which anyone could undoubtedly grab and break easily if in any real danger, and I don't think their bill could cause anything more than a small flesh wound at most. They also say they fly up on top of you and try and drown you if you are in the water... I don;t see how "they" don't realize that a person could just reach up and grab that f***ing birds head and pull that underwater very easily.

The reason I'm posting this as a Question is that I hope I am wrong in some way and that there is some kind of danger I am unaware of, because all these articles about entire rowing teams of strong men not going in the water because of a rogue swan are really making me thing the world has gone crazy...

Please, go look for yourself! If I am unaware of something please tell me! Are Swans REALLY dangerous???

Answer 1

Swans and Geese can be quite viscous in their attacks. I've seen them chase dogs, cats and people away from their protected areas. As an adult I have never been attackted by either one. As a 7 or 8 year old I was. My cousin a year or two older suffered a broken arm in the melee. At that age they may as well be pit bulls. Ma came running out and shooed them away with her broom before they did anymore damage. Their bites and wing beats left a lot of bruising. Remember, in the wild they successfully chase off Arctic Fox and most other predators.



When you are in the water, the only thing sticking out is your head. Of course they will try to beat it down. What else is there to attack? Generally they will only attack if they feel threatened. If they attack you when you're in the water it will appear they are trying to drown you. They are trying to drive you off. Once that is accomplished they will just posture and keep you at bay.When we were attacked by the geese, we went to close to look at the new goslings. When we went out later and kept our distance, they hissed and raised their wings but, didn't attack.



As a 200 lb adult I was attact by some geese I was trying to herd into an enclosure. The nips were somewhat more than I expected. Their wing hits were a bit more painful than I had thought they would be. Once I pinned their wings down and covered their eyes with my other hand when I grabbed their beaks they calmed down. As I carried the goose to the pen the others followe hissing and flapping their wings. When I released the goose I was carrying, they calmed down a bit. They still did their posturing for quite a while.



I suppose if I had run around screaming like a little girl they would have attact en masse. An entire gaggle could have inflicted a bit of damage. Mostly people who get hurt badly by them panic and stir up the geese into a frenzy. A pack of wolves can easily bring down a full grown moose.



The only time I engaged swans was when three of them escaped from a pond they were being shown in. An eatery had them for show. They flew out and landed in traffic. I stopped the car and hered them to the side of the road. I told my wife I'd drive them to the eatery go there and wait.

I put my hand behind its head and walked it to the enclosure. The other two followed closely raising a fuss. As soon as they were safely in their pond they relaxed. Swans can be a handful but they take a backseat to a serial "KIller Whale>"

Answer 2

Though a swan does not have the ability to hold someone under the water to kill them they are extremly strong and can be very dangerous if they want to.



The beak can land you in the hospital for some stitches but it is not life threatening. The wing however are a different story and though they can not kill you they can do serious damage. Their wings have a massive amount of power and strength behind them and they have been known to break peoples arms.



Any wild animal can be dangerous, swans included

Answer 3

I am a photographer, specializing in water foul. I do not approach swans. One that I visit regularly stares me down, but not aggressive. He appears to be the protector of a group of four that live year round in a small lake. I have, however, had lots of fun with geese. I shared lunch daily with a wild Canada Goose pair. They would eat from my hand, and sit next to me. When their goslings hatched, they brought them up the stream bank and let them hop around my feet. I was honored, and a bit amazed. The pair came back later, with a family of nearly grown offspring. All ten of them came running up the bank and looked at me. Geese have incredible memories. This family saw me as a calm, thoughtful source of snacks. But parading the babies around my feet at three days old seems more than a food driven act. I think they were proud of the kids, and wanted me to see them. I could never kill a goose, as they are all family-oriented. They mate for life. Killing one of a pair is cruel.

Answer 4

Swans are big birds and capable of breaking an adult human's arm or a child's leg. They are also very territorial, especially when they have eggs and young. Yes, you could kill one but you would not come out of it unscathed.

Answer 5

I fed a swan bred a few days ago and when I kneeled down in front of it, it wagged its tail and made a grunting/honking noise at me, then wagged it's tail. It was a beautiful swan and didn't show aggression towards me luckily.

Answer 6

They can get quite nasty (specially for men). I've seen geese attacks in which they go for the groin, besides being heavy and powerful birds, specially the swan.

Actually here in Brazil in some prisons there are guardian geese instead of dogs. Mostly because they make much more noise when startled, but also for their agressiveness.

Answer 7

they can b quite vicious

Answer 8

Swans Attack

Answer 9

Nope-humans love to tell boogie-man stories. Now they use cyberspace instead of a campfire.

Will the birds try to drive others,including humans,away? Sure.

Can they clout w/their wings? Yes.

Can a human kill a swan barehanded? EASILY.