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Do people eat Mute Swans? (3 Viewers)
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jurek
Well-known member
Concerning Eastern Europe.
Mute Swans are protected in all European countries. In Poland at least, they are as common and tame as in Britain.
Historically, swans were hunted and eaten in all Europe, were almost wiped out, and many current swan populations come from semi-domesticated ornamental birds kept in parks. That is why there is still a legislation and a cultural taboo against hunting and eating swans, but nothing similar exists against hunting and eating wild geese and ducks.
Werewolves, vampires, bogeymen and xenophobes are not protected and open season is all year.
Mute Swans are protected in all European countries. In Poland at least, they are as common and tame as in Britain.
Historically, swans were hunted and eaten in all Europe, were almost wiped out, and many current swan populations come from semi-domesticated ornamental birds kept in parks. That is why there is still a legislation and a cultural taboo against hunting and eating swans, but nothing similar exists against hunting and eating wild geese and ducks.
Werewolves, vampires, bogeymen and xenophobes are not protected and open season is all year.
Fair points Andy. But no-one knows what happened to the swans in question. They may have been eaten. Or possibly not. They may have been killed by a human of any ethnic group, political or religious persuasion, or sexual orientation. We just don't know. Could have been a fox. An LGBT fox at that. The very fact that 'immigrants' are dragged into the scenario is odd in itself. Swan's head appears in field, debate starts about 'Eastern Europeans' and cultural freedoms. Am I missing something?
There is general consensus on what is culturally acceptable and then there are persons who break taboos due to psychological issues (like they do really heinous crimes on other humans).
Jurek explained it all; most urban dwellers adore swans as if they were fluffy white puppies in form of birds. There is a large wild flock off banks of Danube in our city and people almost queue up in order to give them food handouts (we do not like queueing for anything so it is significant). Swans are not hunted and are protected by law. They are much more likely to die from poisoning, killed by dogs or chopped with axe by a crazy person. Only in one case I heard of a swan disappearing and a comment that someone filled their freezer.
Jurek explained it all; most urban dwellers adore swans as if they were fluffy white puppies in form of birds. There is a large wild flock off banks of Danube in our city and people almost queue up in order to give them food handouts (we do not like queueing for anything so it is significant). Swans are not hunted and are protected by law. They are much more likely to die from poisoning, killed by dogs or chopped with axe by a crazy person. Only in one case I heard of a swan disappearing and a comment that someone filled their freezer.
And that kind of relates to a point I was trying to make earlier. The swan in your case 'disappeared'. Did anyone take the trouble to decapitate it before making off with the spoils? I'm not a swan-eater, but if I were, and I bagged one in the field, why on earth would I remove the head before making off with the body? I mean, when I get home, I have the business of cleaning, plucking, hanging etc., so leaving the head in the field seems a bit pointless, as well as leaving evidence. Whoever heard of a pheasant shooter bagging a pheasant and chopping off the head before he takes it home? Sounds like the work of a fox to me.
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Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
It is clear that occasionally, the odd moron will kill a Swan or any other animal that he runs across. the question in the OP was
'Somebody has made a comment that eastern Europeans eat swans.
Is this true?'
I simply pointed out that yes, there are issues with immigrants from certain places taking advantage of the apparently free bounty on offer in our parks, how is this wrong? Alan posted an article from the police about taking fish as I had stated and it is known that in some places they will take the ducks too so why not Swans? Bigger, feed more people and to some a Swan is big duck ready for the pot.
There is clearly some basis in fact but probably also some exaggeration too, how much, who knows?
Go to some of these countries in 'Eastern Europe' as I have many times and see how many freedoms you enjoy as a foreigner! I love Eastern Europe and it's people but I also respect their laws and cultures when I'm there, they should do the same.
It bloody annoys me that when it comes to cultural acceptance, we are the ones doing all the accepting.
Andy
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Some people also eat Whooper Swans
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm
It's not 'wrong' Andy, it's that no-one knows. No one knows if anyone from anywhere in Europe eats swans. No-one knows if the swan that was killed died a natural death, or was predated by an animal or by a human. And I've no idea why anyone would poach a swan, and then cut off the head to leave as evidence. Seems very strange to me. But I do know that white, 'western' European ne'er do wells (of indeterminate religious/political/sexual orientation) bag ducks in public parks. I've seen them do it in Dublin and London over the years.
As regards your point about 'us' having to conform to certain strict cultural standards in certain other countries, whereas denizens of those cultures take advantage of our freedoms here, and expect facilitation beyond reasonable expectation, I couldn't agree more, and have lived through it. But I'd be very wary of conflating two issues that may have nothing to do with each other. I still think a fox is the likely culprit. I mean, no-one has satisfactorily answered the simple (amended) question 'Does any person or persons from a former Warsaw Pact country or those countries constituting the former Yugoslavia....eat swans?'
It is myth that it is a cultural norm to eat swans in Eastern Europe ...as Jurek pointed out with Poland, swans are held in the same esteem here in Lithuania (and neighboring Latvia and Estonia for example) as in the UK. I personally know of no cases of illegal killing of them in this country and if it did happen, the person would be dealt with by the law if caught.
Furthermore, society is not plagued by the occasional adolescents that seem to occur in the UK that get their kicks out of using an air gun etc to take pot shots at swans, etc.
Furthermore, society is not plagued by the occasional adolescents that seem to occur in the UK that get their kicks out of using an air gun etc to take pot shots at swans, etc.
'Does any person or persons from a former Warsaw Pact country or those countries constituting the former Yugoslavia....eat swans?' says Sancho
I like the way you did that!It made me laugh anyway![is that allowed these days?]
Next time I give a title to a thread I will surely have to consult a lawyer specialising in ethnic minority, equality and diversity matters- lest I upset anyone.
It's a minefield I tell you!
Couldn't agree with you more Andy,by the way.
Have a happy festival celebrating Midwinter,or, as we used to say in the old days,Happy Christmas!
I like the way you did that!It made me laugh anyway![is that allowed these days?]
Next time I give a title to a thread I will surely have to consult a lawyer specialising in ethnic minority, equality and diversity matters- lest I upset anyone.
It's a minefield I tell you!
Couldn't agree with you more Andy,by the way.
Have a happy festival celebrating Midwinter,or, as we used to say in the old days,Happy Christmas!
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Indeed it was!I used this heading because someone, in the local paper[NOT THE DAILY MAIL!], suggested a reported decapitated swan may have been eaten by an eastern European.I then asked if they ate swans or whether it was a load of nonsense.
Hence the original title.
Silly me-I should have used Sancho's more accurate,PC title,
'Does any person or persons from a former Warsaw Pact country or those countries constituting the former Yugoslavia....eat swans?
What was I thinking of?
For some reason I have got the 'Monty Python' theme tune going round and round in my head now!
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It's been a good thread Pratincol, many thanks. I thought I remembered seeing a painting somewhere years ago of a dinner-table with a selection of game on it, including a swan. So I googled it and there's one by some 16th Century chap called Paul de Vos. Have a look yourselves. I'm not going to post a link or copy as a) it might be copyright, and b) I don't want to offend anyone. But it illustrates changing cultural norms. It's illegal here under the Wildlife Act 1976 to hunt swans of any species. I do have a photo of the swan's head (and neck) I found about two years ago, but not of the headless swan's body I found thirty years ago. I don't think a human was involved in either case. Just a hunch (like Columbo used to have). Happy Christmas/Holidays/Solistice (delete as appropriate)
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.Allen S. Moore
Well-known member
I suggested that the Moderators change the title. From what I remember, posts in the forum are not meant to be racist or otherwise political. Correct me if I am wrong. The dead swans were found in England, so would people be happy with a post with the title Do the English eat swans? I haven't been walking in Cumbria for many years, but if I had been seen strolling past where the swans were later found dead, would the piece have been given the title Do the Manx eat swans? Of course not on both counts.
PS Although I suggested the changed title, a Moderator agreed to change it, so that makes at least 2 of us with that opinion!
Another possible cause of death - uncontrolled dogs? Years ago (1990s?) I saw the early data from colour-ringing mute swans in the Isle of Man. From what I remember, 3 were found dead, 2 of which were killed by dogs and the third was found dead close to Sellafield Nuclear Power Station. Note how mute swans hiss when dogs approach, even if they are just running past. Yes, I know that doesn't explain where the rest of the bodies of the swans went to.
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A report was in a newspaper of an Eastern European link to several swans being taken or killed. The stance or standing of the newspaper is irrelevant as the original poster wanted to check this 'story' on here, hence he asked the simple question of 'Do Eastern Europeans eat Mute Swans?' Simple as that. No racist undertones. No Daily Mail. No detriment to 'Eastern Europeans'. No boncentration bamps.
stuartvine
Well-known member
The mods* ALWAYS win, that's what they're there for ;-) Damn, now I've got the old song "I've got the power" running around in my head.
*Please note that I am talking about moderators here, not the peeps who ride around on wobbly over-mirrored scooters with targets on their backs. Why yes, I was a greasy biker, how can you tell ;-)
*Please note that I am talking about moderators here, not the peeps who ride around on wobbly over-mirrored scooters with targets on their backs. Why yes, I was a greasy biker, how can you tell ;-)
I was a mod (the kind on a Vespa, not the kind who make keyboard warriors behave). And the greasy fellas on the big motorcycles always won, as the top speed on my Vespa was about 45mph, and that only in a good tailwind!
alan_rymer
Well-known member
If you are homeless, destitute and hungry, you'll eat almost anything!
No matter your nationality.
No matter your nationality.
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