Posted on 04/16/2012 10:05:40 AM PDT by TSgt
A Chicago man who neighbors say was devoted to caring for the swans at a Chicago area apartment complex might have paid for that devotion with his life. Anthony Hensley, 37, apparently died this weekend during a freak accident after a swan attack.
Police say Hensley was in a kayak on a pond at the apartment complex checking on swans. Officials said he either got too close to the swans, or their nest, when one of the birds swam towards his kayak, and the kayak flipped over. “His kayak wasn’t upside down, but it was, like, upwards,” eyewitness Daniel Gamanov said “You could see the tip of it.”
Gamanov saw the tragedy unfold right outside his family’s apartment Saturday morning. He and his friends watched as Hensley’s body was pulled from the pond. It was Hensley’ job to care for the swans. “They probably thought that he was going too close to their eggs, and they were too scared, and they just attacked him,” Gamanov said.
He was awakened by a witness pounding on his apartment window, screaming for someone to call police. By the time he looked out, he could see the kayak, but could see no sign of Hensley.
Witnesses said Hensley came up at least once after his kayak tipped in the pond, but by the time police finally pulled him out of the water, more than a half hour had passed. An autopsy Sunday afternoon determined Hensley drowned.
According to his father, Hensley was a good swimmer, but he ended up in the water while fully clothed and wearing boots. To make the situation worse, police said the swans continued to swim at Hensley as he tried to make it to shore.
Hensley leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
Virtually every kayaker (and many boaters) I know wear aquasocks for that very reason (as well as general comfort).
5 acres in the country..... with very, very green grass. They all free range. LOL
I have told “yes dear” that I would now like to raise a couple of rabbits. She just gives me that—”I’ll lock you in a closet” look.
rabbits are nasty...flea magnet poop machines
maybe you could sell the excess birds as they..err..accumulate, or maybe too many regulations? I think I would want useful animals, like either provide food or hide/fur or wool, etc. The reality is I would have a bunch of plants and a watergarden with frogs lol.
When I was 5 years old, I was literally attacked by a swan at a park. Was quite traumatic... but I harbor little hate for them now!!!
Swan, cob, cygnet. Time to go to Google I guess.
Nope, because I never made contact, nor came into contact range with the pesky invaders. I just wanted to make sure they thought I was attacking them, so they would get off the property and not be territorial and hiss/bite/hit me with their wings.
“Pursuing” is explicitly forbidden. That’s what you were doing.
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