swan

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It's Time for King Charles to Count All His Swans

Actually the 'Seigneur of the Swans' has people to carry out the medieval tradition for him

(Newser) - Scarlet uniforms flashed against the riverbank. Wooden skiffs glided in formation. A young swan, gently lifted from the water, was measured, inspected, and released. The annual five-day census of swans belonging to King Charles III—known as Swan Upping—began Monday on the River Thames to assess their health. One...

This City Is Selling Off Its Swans for $400 a Pop

Lakeland, Fla., says due to overpopulation, it costs $10K a year to feed them all

(Newser) - Got an extra $400 lying around? Love swans? If you're near Lakeland, Fla., or can get there, you're in luck. CNN reports that, starting sometime in the next few weeks, the city will be selling off about half of the 80 resident swans that live on Lake Morton....

He Took Care of Swans for a Living. Then One Turned

Wife of Anthony Hensley, who drowned during 2012 swan attack, is suing

(Newser) - It was his job to take care of the swans, and it was a swan that ended up ending his life. Now the wife of a Des Plaines, Ill., man who died in 2012 after a swan attack in a condo complex's retention pond is suing the companies that...

Swan Dies for Tourist's Selfie

Bird was dragged from a Macedonia lake

(Newser) - Another reason humans really suck sometimes: A woman from Bulgaria, part of a large tourist group, dragged a swan from a lake in Macedonia to snap a selfie with it and ended up killing the animal, per the New York Daily News . Photos obtained by Metro show the woman smiling...

Egyptian Cops Detain Swan Accused of Being a Spy

A man brought the bird in because it had an electronic device

(Newser) - In a case that's ruffling feathers in Egypt, authorities have detained a swan that a citizen suspected of being a spy. Officials say a man brought the suspected winged infiltrator to a police station yesterday in the Qena governorate, some 280 miles southeast of Cairo. Officials say the man...

Kayaker Dies After Tussle With Angry Swan

Anthony Hensley drowned after swan swam at him

(Newser) - A Chicago-area man who took care of swans was killed after apparently angering one of them, the Sun-Times reports. The company that Anthony Hensley, 37, worked for uses swans and dogs as goose deterrents around properties, and the dad of two went to check on a group of swans near...

Pair of British Swans Gets Rare 'Divorce'

The birds usually mate for life, but not this time

(Newser) - A pair of British swans has done the unthinkable for the loyal species, which usually mate for life: It split up. Sarindi and Saruni had been together for two years, but both returned to an English bird sanctuary from their annual Arctic migration with brand new partners. It's only the...

In a Recession, One Counts Swans Oneself

Queen becomes first monarch to undertake centuries-old census

(Newser) - With Britain still stuck in a biting recession, Queen Elizabeth is doing a bit of her own home economics—yesterday, she got on a barge and became the first monarch to undertake the annual counting of the swans. Traditionally the Queen owns all the swans on the River Thames, although...

Swan-Boat Romance Takes Wing (Again)

After actual feathered male forsakes her, Petra flocks back to plastic paramour

(Newser) - After her real-life avian lover flew the coop, a German black swan has returned to her ex—a swan-shaped paddleboat, the AP reports. Petra was joined at the wing with the craft in 2006—but that relationship seemed to have sung its swan song when both were taken to a...

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