OMG OMG OMG! I repeatedly said as I heard the story unfold on the Television afternoon news for my local area. A Male Swan has......wait for it......killed two dogs protecting its young!! Can you beleive that! Not one! but two dogs! It uber wooped em with its wings and then drowned the poor feckas.

Just goes to show, you don't want to upset a swan.... They have also been known to break people's arms. Apparently a child was attacked and killed by a swan in 1938. Nice looking birds, but they're big and strong and will fight if they feel like it.

Yeah, they are evil little monsters when you tick them off. The Black Swans in Western Australia are particularly feral. Don't EVER feed them, eh, cos when you stop, they attack you. I have been "swanned" many time back home when the little bastards got the shits on and went after me for varying reasons.... Pretty and mean. Just like our swannie!! I just lay money that they could beat up an eagle...no problems at all ....

Swans do not play. They are huge birds that live a long time. My dad discovered that one when he teased one as a kid. He said that that swan kept coming out of the water for a long time, he ran like he**. Messing with swans are a bad idea. Poor stupid dogs.

Only time I have ever had a swan attack me is when I was walking in a park with my former GF and it was in the path and started trying to attack her leg so I belted it full bore in the head and it made a hasty retreat.

Swans dont retreat..they only take a step back..mark you as a target will remeber you the next time you amble innocently along the same path..then get even with ya.. Id go into hiding Cepster...Killer Swan on the Loose .. LOL!!

Because swans mate for life they are extremely protective of their family. There have been reports of swans dying because their mate has been killed in the UK. Swans share the responsibility for looking after young so the fathers in some types (not sure if all) are as protective as the mothers and will do anything to protect they young or nests. So walking alog a path when they have a nest nearby makes it open season on you, if you are perceived as a threat

Yes, be careful around swans. Or geese for that matter. Best watch dog of all a gander, he even mows the lawn and fertilizes it with nasty green droppings. He will live longer than a dog too. in some cases over 25 years. But he will need a life mate, doesnt matter which gender, hes too romantic to care.

I don't think this particular swan was guarding a family, prolly just its territory and it more of staggered and fell over a little than stood back. The thing is whenever you are attacked by an animal you first reaction is panic because your not used to sizing up your opponent and what they can do and this kinda eggs the animal on as you back away. What you need to remember about swans and geese (or any animal for that matter) is that they also realise that your roughly 3 times their size and 5 times their bodyweight. Animals know this and if you stand your grand or attack them, it throws them off guard and they will back off. The only exception really are mothers protecting their young but only if you are directly threatening their young. Even predatory animals will do this like wild dogs, if you run your history if you turn round and yell at them they stop....then they think .."hang on a minute its bigger then me and not afraid....err...."

Swans are pretty dangerous if you irk them. There was a pair of swans at a river I used to swim at all the time. Fortunately, my mom watched me like a hawk to make sure I didn't mess with them. I left them alone and they did likewise. Poor dogs. Most dogs are pretty stupid and will continue going after things no matter what. Furthermore, they usually don't let the fight just stop, even if they're getting wooped. They're just hard-headed that way.

yes, even if it means being splatted by a big bear.

Or getting around 75 porcupine quills in the muzzle.

Swans, dogs, bears, porcupines... Sheesh!!..all this from a walk in the park???!!!

Eh, not the porcupines, at least. Was at a cousin's house when some dogs they were taking care of temporarily got after a porcupine. Stupid dogs. One of them had to be sedated, the other was just sat on whilst porcupine quills were being removed. Besides...I don't think there are porcupines in Britain. I know there are hedgehogs, but their quills don't come out. At least my African pygmy's quills didn't. They do have some sort of coating on them that makes the area they stick burn a little. So those dogs, while killed by swans, were at least safe from porcupines. I'm sure that's very reassuring, eh?

Ouch!..

Dogs tend to do silly things like that though