Cambridge rowers urge queen to deal with rowdy swan
Rowers in Cambridge, England, have urged the queen to remove a swan from the River Cam following a spate of attacks on river users.
The bird known as “Mr Asbo” – an acronym for an anti-social behaviour order – flaps its wings aggressively and pecks at rowers and boats, according to Bill Key, the president of the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association.
“This swan caused untold disruption and injury last year and the same thing is happening again now,” Key told the BBC. “There have been dozens and dozens of attacks. The cox of my own crew is frightened to go in the water because she received bruising from an attack in the past.”
According to a quirk of English law, the queen owns all wild swans of the species “mute swans”, though not other types of swan.
Her Majesty’s Warden of the Swans, Chris Perrins, said permission from Her Majesty’s Swan Marker, David Barber, was necessary before the swan could be dealt with.
“The Crown does not own this bird but it can claim it,” said Perrins.
Perrins said options for dealing with the swan included relocating it or clipping its feathers on one wing to discourage aggressive behaviour by throwing it off balance when it attacks.