Illustration by Alice Goodridge
Effectively arrested for his behaviour, Mr ASBO swan is an extreme illustration of how people can be scared by a mute swan (Cygnus olor). For three years, rowers in the River Cam in Cambridge reported being attacked by a particularly aggressive swan. He even capsized a lone rower and attacked him with his beak. Mr ASBO had supporters who argued that the swan had a right to be in the river-his home-that superseded the leisure pursuits of people. Conservators of the River Cam were granted a license by Natural England to move him. Mr ASBO and his mate were captured and taken 60 miles away. His wings were clipped to prevent him returning.
Mute swans are particularly territorial when they are nesting or have young cygnets with them. They will swim fast towards a perceived threat, such as a rower or swimmer, hissing with raised wings. Weighing up to 14kg, mute swans can be intimidating. But Mr ASBO’s behaviour is an extreme example. Usually if a person who has incurred the wrath of a swan changes direction and retreats the interaction ends. It can mean using a different exit point from a swim than originally planned. Also, on seeing a nesting pair, an occupied swan nest, or young cygnets, it might be better to use a different swimming spot to allow swans to be left feeling unthreatened during the couple of months that they are particularly sensitive to disturbance. It is also worth thinking about how busy a swimming spot is and how your visit might be one of many. Poor Mr ASBO swan was trying to live on a stretch of river that has a lot of rowing, punting, and swimming.
Ostensibly, Mr ASBO was an example of human-wildlife conflict. Except mute swans are semi-domesticated. They live in close proximity to people, occupying town ponds and rivers as readily as rivers and lakes in remote countryside. And for hundreds of years we have encouraged them to live near us by feeding them, for the convenience of having big and delicious birds on hand when we wanted to eat them.