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.
Sorry, but that’s the point where you kill the damn things. Don’t care how big and how mean...if someone’s going to die, critter’s going down asap.
He experienced his own personal “black swan event”!
He swooned when the swans thought him a swain?
That sucks, he should have swum er swam oh heck.
Hmmmm, swan liver pate, now that would be exotic.
Swan dive?
He should of swung as the swan swam!
Did the victim have time to sing a swan song before submerging?
Goose ghetto.
Yes... or at least it seems like it. I had my grandson at a pond feeding ducks when a goose came along and went after my grandson. I just got between them and got bit in the ass. No blood, but it hurt.
A swan is a lot bigger than a goose. If it were really a fight to the death on land, I'd beat the swan no doubt. But in the water, I'm not so sure. They are nasty critters.
If it was a White Hispanic Swan, Obama will be right on it.
A swan dive off a tall building will kill you.
Video showing the pond, the witnesses, the dead man and his two young daughters.
Killer Swan Blamed for Man's Drowning in Pond 4/16/2012
so do you figure on eating a lot of goose and duck? how long do they live or do you just keep a breeding set or whatever and eat young ones? Can you tell I don’t know anything about animals/farms? lol
A gaggle of geese or a flock of swans make a very effective replacement to guard dogs.
Plus, they will make a racket while taking down someone.
It’s a long story, but this entire bird thing started with 2 chickens.
Short version: I just wanted to buy 2 chicks and have my own eggs. I left the house to buy 2 chicks, but before the day was done I had 8 baby chicks. About a month later, a friend had to move, so he gave his 30 chickens, they were 6 months old.
Then one day I decided I wanted a duck, perhaps 2 so they would have each other. I came home with 8 ducks. LOL Before we could get the duck shed built, we lost 4 to predators. I finished the shed and I bought 6 more.
Last spring, two mama ducks gave me 25 more ducks. A third mama gave me another 13,....that was when I quickly learned that chickens will kill baby ducks. Those vicious jerks killed all but 3 of that batch of 13. We raised the remaining 3 in a dog crate in our house (no, my wife didn’t love the experience.. LOL), until we finished building a second and much larger duck shed.
Then I thought it might be fun to have a “couple” geese around. My wife “made me” build a goose shed BEFORE buying the geese. I found some for sale about 3 hours from my house. I left to get 2, I came home with 5. LOL
I liked the idea of the geese, so I ordered an additional breed and a variety of ducks over the net. That gave us another dozen birds. LOL
By next weekend, we should have about 25 more geese babies around here.
As to your questions: Well, I have all of these because I just wanted 2 chickens and my own eggs... I tend to get carried away. My wife has always told me that I see life through the eyes of a child... she might be right. ;>) You know those warnings at the start of some movies...the one that reads, “Parental Guidance Recommended/Advised”... that was put in there for me. ;>)
I had planned to raise them for fun and food, but I probably won’t butcher any unless the economy requires it. I might sell some as their population grows. Fortunately, the breeds that I have chosen require very little care and can do quite well foraging for themselves, but I do spoil them with treats during the day and feed at night.
BTW... the geese mate for life and they can live for as much as 30 years.
ALL of my critters are healthy and happy. They know us and trust us. I have taught them to fly to me when I blow a police whistle. They get along with my GSD and he helps us get them in at night. 30 of those guys in the sky all at the same time, and hurrying to get to you is quite a sight.... I love it.
If we do get around to eating any of them, it’s the young birds that are supposed to be the best. LOL... I have never eaten duck or goose.
A moose once bit my sister.
Dreadful. RIP.
I know, my Brother or the Goat?
Or the reverse.
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/VideoNetwork/973797106001/Jet-ski-rider-accused-of-killing-swan
LOL great story! Duck and goose are both very good eating (I’ve had duck a few times not sure about goose, but probably my mother made at least once as we had small game a number of times- rabbit, pheasant, etc) but I would imagine like chickens, are better young for roasting, older would need to be slow cooked (stew).
I hope you have a really big yard ;)
No swans around but there are a lot of those big fat geese - not Canadians, these don’t migrate, they commute. A lot of developers leave the grass and grain standing though the winter so the geese fly a few miles or so south and eat and then come back into the parks, catch basins, and golf courses to hang out. One office park hires a guy with a boat, a dog, and a loud cap pistol to patrol the pond. He also waxes the eggs he finds so that they won’t hatch. If he takes them the goose will just lay more. Hasn’t really worked. The geese population keeps growing. This time of year they stop traffic to cross the road and attack large plate glass windows. Lots of green greasy poop too.
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