Wow. This is crazy stuff. I guess the Swan made him flip and he couldnt swim? I didnt think Ponds were that deep. Something is missing from this story.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/illi...acked-by-swan/
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Wow. This is crazy stuff. I guess the Swan made him flip and he couldnt swim? I didnt think Ponds were that deep. Something is missing from this story.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/illi...acked-by-swan/
That is a terrible story. >:( Although, what was someone doing on a kayak without a life vest if he couldn't swim?
Sorry for not posting the link
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/illi...acked-by-swan/
[size=14pt]Holy Crap!!![/size]
I sure like to read your area stories - They are a lot more cheerful than this story which took place 10 minutes from where I live.
I used to have to deal with attacking swans where my daughter kept her horse. They are very protectful and can put a big hurt on you with their wings. They slap you with them and it is like getting hit with a broom stick.
No lifejacket and wearing boots, in a kayak....
Really sucks for the guys kids.....
The swans they are talking about are an invasive species, they are very agressive and destructive. Some states had an open season on them before the bunny-huggers got up in arms.
Something doesn't seem right. His job was to chase off Swans in a Kayak, but he doesn't know how to swim. Then the other photo of him looks to be take at a Beach resort.
17 HMR would help that Swan problem.
[quote author=PurpleNGold link=topic=942.msg8976#msg8976 date=1334607983]
Something doesn't seem right. His job was to chase off Swans in a Kayak, but he doesn't know how to swim. Then the other photo of him looks to be take at a Beach resort.
17 HMR would help that Swan problem.
[/quote]
The video said something about boots. Maybe that is what got him? Surely he could swim, judging by those pics. Maybe the boots plus the swan kept him from getting above water?
[size=12pt]The video said he was a good swimmer but had on boots and the swan kept attacking while was trying to get to shore. He was supposed to be taking care of the swans.
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Here is the MSNBC report.
"A 37-year-old father of two drowned Saturday in the pond at a Des Plaines, Ill., area apartment complex following an altercation with a swan, local reports say.
Anthony Hensley, who worked for a company that uses swans and dogs to keep geese away, was in a kayak as he checked on the community's swans. When one of the swans swam toward him, the kayak flipped over and he fell out, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“His kayak wasn’t upside down, but it was, like, upwards,” witness Daniel Gamanov told CBS Chicago. “You could see the tip of it.”
Police said at least one of the swans kept moving toward Hensley as he tried to swim to shore.
“They probably thought that he was going too close to their eggs, and they were too scared, and they just attacked him,” Gamanov said.
Hensley's father, Raymond Hensley, told the TV station his son was a good swimmer, but that he was fully clothed and wearing boots when he fell in the water. The autopsy confirmed Hensley drowned.
Hensley's daughters were not immediately told their father hadn't made it back from work, the TV station reported.
“They’re too young. They just know their father is not here, and they don’t know why," Raymond Hensley told the station. "It’s tragic for him to have to spend the last few moments like that. That’s always my worst fear, drowning."
Hensley liked working with animals, his father-in-law George Koutsogiannis told the Sun-Times. “Maybe he didn’t fight back enough when the swan attacked him. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt the animal. I can’t understand how this was possible,” Koutsogiannis said."
In the Chicago area there are companies that own swans and rent them out for the summer months in pairs to homes, businesses and parks.
Some people use them as decoration for their ponds while othere rent them to keep the geese away.
The geese are considerd protected/endangered, unfortunately there are large numbers here and anywhere there is a pond or lake you will find geese making a mess. Imagine the small flat mess Sam makes times 100 solid pieces. It is a big problem for golf courses. Some golf courses run a dog by the ponds, this seems to keep the numbers of geese down since they are messy and damage the course by pecking and making holes. The company will regularly check on the swans and the nest they float in the lake or pond since they also will own the offspring. This guy was just checking on them. Probably did it hundreds of times before this accident happened.
im be damn/they should be pillows by now.
That's a sad story. Just a few days ago I saw something on TV about some unlikely animals that were deadly to humans and swans were one of them. I thought it sounded a little out there at the time. Now this. As far as ponds not being deep, the one I fish regularly is 29 feet deep in several areas according to my depth finder.
I guess I would be using
a swan as a flotation device
^^^ Thats what I said Blacktip.
I used to feed the big white geese down at Fhope pier all the time. Several times, they attacked me from behind and it hurt. Couldnt imagine one of those swans getting after me.
Sad story for sure!
I use to bream fish every day in the bayou in front of my house as a kid. There were tons of swans that would lay there eggs around there. Me being the the kid I was, I always had an interest in getting their eggs. Needless to say, those damn things are mean. It took me a while but I finally learned the mallards and wood ducks weren't as aggressive.
Wow that's crazy. Talk about attack of the birds. Had to be some kind of freak accident. Just a scenario but imagine it could happen. If he were to panic, he tips the kayak, it flips up and hits him in the head. He's disoriented and gets hit again by the bird trying to swim to shore. Imagine a 30-40# bird on top of you attacking. He panics as he goes under and takes a breath of water and its all over. My condolences to his family and poor daughters who will grow up with out a dad.
Too sad :(