Swan Injured, Your Comments?

[MauriceMynah]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/rspca-horror-after-swan-is-hit-by-boat-on-norfolk-broads-1-5076128

I don't know if the link will work... if not will someone please help me on this. 

[NeilB]

Unusual for a Swan to get into this sort of situation with a boat, unless it was sick or already injured.  I spent quite a bit of time with Swan Lifeline on the Thames trying to catch injured Swans from boat's, unless you can tempt them close with food, it's not easy!

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

We always worry when we get close to swans,ducks etc and make sure they clear  the boat.I hope no one did this on purpose,perhaps the bird was already poorly as Neil said.Very sad none the less

Ian.

[Vaughan]

I have never heard of this before, but I did notice when we were on holiday recently, that swans will now deliberately swim out across the front of your boat, in the hope of getting some food. Even so, I think to deliberately try to ram them, would be impossible. They are too quick for that!

 I notice that the RSPCA inspector says that this was "a truly reckless and awful incident"  and "could have been done deliberately by joy riders".

I cannot see what can give her the right to say this, especially as she was not there at the time.

[ExUserGone]

Was it actually witnessed by anyone? Waterfowl of any kind normally just bobs out of the way purely by the wash they don't have to put any effort in to avoid a boat unless it is doing a hell of a speed, I would think it would have to be a planning speed.

That said I suppose a good burst of reverse with a swan behind could possibly draw it into the prop, never heard of it happening before though.

[dredger]

Did anyone know that swans are capable of swimming under water, could be a good way to get injured by a prop! seems unlikely i know and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it myself. I saw it near wroxham bridge so though unusual it's a possibility. Please don't tell me i'm wrong 'cos I've seen it!

[Regulo]

You're not wrong Dredger. I've also seen it, though not quite fully submerged. That was prior to, shall we say, the act of swan nookie!!

[dredger]

This one went under in a territorial dispute when a large number of swans were congregating around Wroxham bridge area disappeared completely and came out of the water and I believe took to the air polaris style.

[LizG]

Two years ago sailing at Horning a swan flew into as landing into another racing keel boat. It probably had a bit of a head ache. A first for me to see this!

[BroadAmbition]

From my own experiences out on the river. It is just about nigh on impossible to hit a swan / duck / coot etc with any kind of boat, even if you wanted to (And I can't for the life of me think of any reason why you should even try) they are born and brought up with boats all around them and are very river savvy, not too mention far more manoeuvrable than any boat

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

Thanks all. The problem I have with this article is that for as long as this woman says it was done by a boat, nobody will be looking for the real culprit nor watching out for the method used. I would agree with you Griff and say that it would be nigh on impossible for those injuries to be caused by a boat.

[Malanka]

This is what is known as an extended quotation and as such is what used to be called a logical fallacy. I think it is the agenda of the RSPCA inspector that should be investigated. She used the word could which does not mean was. She then goes on to say if which does not mean was and then explains what the penalties if the could and the if are actually true without a single piece of supporting evidence that they are or are not true. 

 

Thats called agenda driven propaganda and it's a tragedy that the once respected RSPCA can have allowed itself to sink so low.

 

We should of course feel remorse for the euthanised Swan however descending to the level of Herr Goebels who first made use of these techniques in the popular press ( does the EDP count ? ) to make a rather dubious point without a shred of evidence is rather crass and should be seen for the crude manipulation it is.

 

seeing as water is in fact incompressible how on earth can one " run over " a swan it's a ludicrous notion.

 

ok rant over..

 

M

[BroadAmbition]

Wot Malanka said.

Far better and eloquently than I ever could

Griff

[deebee29]

The article mentions that it happened at Wroxham Bridge and propeller injury. Would a pilot notice if a Swan got behind him when he was manouvering into position to take a boat through the bridge? I don't know

Not saying this was the case and very sad to see any living creature maimed, but to imply that it was deliberate without actually seeing the incident is just wrong.

The thing that got me most about the article is the fact that they used the incident  as another way to push for donations 

[jeffbroadslover]

I remember that many, many years ago whilst watching the powerboat racing at Oulton Broad a swan was hit by one of the boats during a race. Even though one of the rescue boats was on the scene within seconds nothing could be done for the swan except to pick it (and it's wing ) out of the water. It took a lot longer for the rescue boats to find and pick up all the bits of marine ply that had been scattered everywhere.

Jeff

[JennyMorgan]

Hi Jeff, I remember that event well. Normally if a swan lands on the water during a race then the race is stopped. What can't always be managed is when a boat goes down the side of the Broad and frightens a swan so that it it scurries away from the boat and out in front of a race boat without warning.

Whilst I accept that swans can and do dive in order to feed I fail to see how one would or could be caught in a propeller. Swans are pretty buoyant and are therefore unlikely to be drawn into a prop. Might it happen if a boat was reversing into a gap and the swan became trapped? Possible I suppose but I remain unconvinced. Unless someone comes forward who actually witnessed the even, or who was responsible, then we can only guess and my guess it that a prop was not the cause of the injuries.

It is an unlikely scenario at best and my guess is that the RSPCA type is guessing as to the fate of the swan for whatever reason.

 

[Bedslad]

10 hours ago, Malanka said:

This is what is known as an extended quotation and as such is what used to be called a logical fallacy. I think it is the agenda of the RSPCA inspector that should be investigated. She used the word could which does not mean was. She then goes on to say if which does not mean was and then explains what the penalties if the could and the if are actually true without a single piece of supporting evidence that they are or are not true. 

 

Thats called agenda driven propaganda and it's a tragedy that the once respected RSPCA can have allowed itself to sink so low.

 

We should of course feel remorse for the euthanised Swan however descending to the level of Herr Goebels who first made use of these techniques in the popular press ( does the EDP count ? ) to make a rather dubious point without a shred of evidence is rather crass and should be seen for the crude manipulation it is.

 

seeing as water is in fact incompressible how on earth can one " run over " a swan it's a ludicrous notion.

 

ok rant over..

 

M

They have done this sort of thing with anglers over the years. It's very crafty and obviously tries to show angling and now boating in this instance in bad light. 

Yes there should be an investigation and this rspca officer should be made to clarify her statement with fact not ifs and couldves. All imo of course

[JennyMorgan]

Regretfully sometimes anglers are to blame though, and I write that as a keen angler. Nevertheless in that RSPB hate campaign reality was often ignored or at least twisted. After many years as a keen RSPCS member I finally resigned over that.

[rightsaidfred]

Another example of the modern trend of making political gain from a tragedy, some 3 years ago when I phoned both the RSPCA & RSPB regarding an injured Cygnet I got the same response from both they were not interested and told me to find a local rescue source.

Fred

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

Might it happen if a boat was reversing into a gap and the swan became trapped?

That had also occurred to me as about the only way this could have happened - if it was a boat?

Swans can become trapped in basins as they need a long "runway" in order to take off. There was an occasion on the Thames when we had to catch all the swans, as they had caught a disease and needed injections. We did it by slowly herding them into the chamber of Bell Weir Lock and then closing the gates. We could then deal with them all, from dinghies, as they had no room to take off.

But surely if it was a stern on manoeuvre, there would have been someone on deck ready with mooring lines, who could have warned the helmsman?

[Bound2Please]

I lost all faith in the RSPCA in 1999, when someone phoned them, saying we being cruel to our two dogs. They sent some one from some in Sussex arriving at our pub about 6.15pm, im glad to say the local poacher was in drinking a pint of guiness (R I P Hoss) demanding to have access behind our bar to check our two dogs as a lunch time punter had reported they were malfunctioned. I was gobsmacked as was Hoss, anyway she became very offensive, so I called the police, and the Sgt arrived very  quickly as i reported being threatened. She was told to leave in no uncertain terms by Sgt Watson who then said she was going to report her for trying to tell her a pack of unsubstantiated lies. My point is we has three dogs, how much did it cost to send an inspector out from Sussex to Mersea Island? and who do they think they are demaning entry behind a bar, and threatening to have my license taken away?.

About a month later we got a letter of apology, and a form asking if we would put a collection box on the bar and would we be interested in donating to help there funds. 

Charlie

[Bedslad]

18 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Regretfully sometimes anglers are to blame though, and I write that as a keen angler. Nevertheless in that RSPB hate campaign reality was often ignored or at least twisted. After many years as a keen RSPCS member I finally resigned over that.

Yes you are quite correct Jenny, usually snap off and trailing lines, however since the angling foundation mobilised coaching the problem has decreased, our club has active coaching courses and are well attended, training and mentoring is the way forward rather than let people loose with a rod and a pint of reds.      

                                                                             I myself have cut down an egret suspended from a tree after being tangled in line, I've also pulled a Starbucks coffee cup off of a gooses head, I kid you not.

im a very keen angler and was once a member of the RSPB, but their continual attack on anglers lead me to not renew which is such a shame.

[deebee29]

Just now, Bound2Please said:

About a month later we got a letter of apology, and a form asking if we would put a collection box on the bar and would we be interested in donating to help there funds. 

Charlie

And did you do that Charlie?

.

.

.hmmmm 

.

Thought not

 

 

[addicted]

We used to have a pet shop and we had a large floor standing model with a money box collecting for the RSPCA, it used to get quite a large sum of money as little kids loved to feed it with parents' loose change . one day a very "up herself" RSPCA woman came and announced the society was withdrawing the dog because we so!d kittens! That we bought them from people who didn't want them probably saving them from being drowned at birth or that we were very careful who we sold them to didn't matter.

 

 

Carole

[Bound2Please]

15 minutes ago, addicted said:

We used to have a pet shop and we had a large floor standing model with a money box collecting for the RSPCA, it used to get quite a large sum of money as little kids loved to feed it with parents' loose change . one day a very "up herself" RSPCA woman came and announced the society was withdrawing the dog because we so!d kittens! That we bought them from people who didn't want them probably saving them from being drowned at birth or that we were very careful who we sold them to didn't matter.

 

 

Carole

I would like this CarolE if it wasnt for the RSPCA out look ...................... I do like in fact love the fact you sold unwanted kittens, and made sure they went to good homes.

Charlie :kiss