Oh, you sweet swan! He is the crowd puller at the fish pond in Zagersdorf in Burgenland: the white swan with the imposing wings. Recently, the peaceful water bird has turned into an aggressive attacker and has kept the whole village in suspense ever since.
In the psychological thriller “Black Swan”, based on Tchaikovsky’s ballet fairy tale “Swan Lake”, the main character, a dancer, changes from an innocent white swan into a black swan, representing the dark side of the human soul. The story currently taking place at the fish pond in Zagersdorf is very similar. There, a graceful mute swan, which was everyone’s favorite until recently, causes fear and terror among the population.
The lone swan, a male, who settled at the pond a year and a half ago, seemed very comfortable in his biotope, not least because he was fed almost daily by walkers. When he saw passersby on the bank, he swam straight ahead and accompanied many of them, paddling in the water, walking along – if only in the hope of another bite.
ambush attack
Recently, however, the otherwise peaceful swan has shown an unusually aggressive side and has been attacking humans. “He also attacked my 16-year-old granddaughter and me. While I kept our dog on a leash, she took on the swan and defended herself with a backpack she was carrying. It felt like it took several minutes for him to release her,” says Lisbeth Wild, who lives near the pond and has been keeping an eagle eye on the bird since this incident.
Sometimes he jumps out of the water with a hiss and darts up the dike with outstretched wings. Then, in a moment of inattention, he snaps or runs after people.
Recently, the swan also attacked two elderly ladies. Fortunately, local resident Michael Migschitz came to the rescue of the women and was able to chase the attacker away with a broom: “While one woman lay on the ground, the other sought shelter behind a tree trunk, but was surrounded, bitten and pinched by the Swan. Then she had bruises on her legs,” says Migschitz.
Victim of animal abuse?
The bird has already startled and scared away a father with his son and a fisherman’s hut owner who was on his way to the adjacent playground with his wife and grandchildren, because he apparently considers the pond his territory. With complaints piling up, Mayor Ivan Grujic has now contacted the country’s conservation department. No one knows exactly why the swan is suddenly so aggressive. However, neighbors say they saw children throw stones and sticks at him.
Love crazy and hungry
“Even if that were the case, swans don’t hold a grudge. Only when they feel threatened, build a nest and protect their offspring, do they defend their habitat by all means. It is therefore better not to provoke them or to corner them. float,” explains zoologist Andreas Ranner.
He suspects that the swan is simply claiming its right to food and having a “hormone high”. Because the swan has been looking for a white musk duck, also called Turkish or wart duck, for a while, for lack of a more suitable partner.
New house
“Her white plumage and red beak were apparently enough for the swan to see her as a conspecific and fall in love with her.” While a wide variety of mixed races exist in nature, this relationship is likely to remain platonic. : “However, im March is the breeding season. That is why the swan defends its imaginary territory with territorial behavior.”
To prevent further attacks, Mayor Grujic is now trying to get a fishing license and initiate a relocation of the wild bird to Lake Neusiedl so that it can live there with other swans. If the permit is granted, the well-fortified ornamental bird will be removed by expert employees within a few days – provided they can get close…
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
