The swans in Carlow

Irish Guitarist

The park in county Carlow attracts a lot of fishermen. Actually fishermen is the wrong word as most of the people that go fishing here are kids. These kids frequently fish just a few feet away from the local swan population. As a result of this, swans often have the misfortune to get caught up in fishing lines. In the last three or four weeks I've witnessed three swans being caught in fishing lines.

The last incident was especially disturbing as the poor swan had a fishing line going all the way from his bill to his foot. Anytime this swan moved he almost got strangled as the line was also wrapped around his neck. After a while he started to drool and could barely close his bill. I tried in vain to phone the Carlow branch of the ISPCA but couldn't reach them. I then returned to the park and asked the park warden if he could do anything. Here's how the conversation went -
Me - "Excuse me, does anyone look after those swans?"
Warden - "Yes."
Me - "There's a swan caught in a fishing line. Could you phone someone?"
Warden - "That's ok."
Me - "There's a swan DYING!"
Warden - "That's ok, people are allowed to fish here."

This warden had very poor English skills and seemed to think I was complaining about some kids fishing nearby. A similar incident happened a few weeks ago. I told a different warden that a swan had gotten caught in a fishing line. He looked out at the river at the swan in distress and laughed. I asked could he phone someone and he said something in Polish and then he pretty much laughed in my face before he went back to drinking his coffee and talking to his friend. Before anyone accuses me of being against Polish immigrants, I'm not, I'm just describing how hard it is to get anyone to help the swans here.

I think the Carlow county council needs to take better care of these swans. One option would be to ban fishing from certain parts of the river (I know I'll be unpopular for even suggesting that). Another option would be to employ someone to look after the swans. Right now it seems that the ISPCA isn't even active in Carlow.

As for the last swan I saw get caught in a fishing line, I think he is ok. I left a message with the main branch of the ISPCA and they phoned me back to say someone had went out to help. I don't know what happened after that as the man that phoned couldn't tell me any more. This swan had brown markings on his head and I have since seen a swan with markings in a similar pattern, so I guess it's the same one.

Kaldorn

I know its not related but i was driving down the strawberry beds this morning and the cars where backed up a good bit and i noticed it was a swan in the middle of the road,when i eventually got up to him he started to bash the mirroe and the door and the window with his beak..have no idea why he was attacking cars

Fighting Irish

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

The park in county Carlow attracts a lot of fishermen. Actually fishermen is the wrong word as most of the people that go fishing here are kids. These kids frequently fish just a few feet away from the local swan population. As a result of this, swans often have the misfortune to get caught up in fishing lines. In the last three or four weeks I've witnessed three swans being caught in fishing lines.

The last incident was especially disturbing as the poor swan had a fishing line going all the way from his bill to his foot. Anytime this swan moved he almost got strangled as the line was also wrapped around his neck. After a while he started to drool and could barely close his bill. I tried in vain to phone the Carlow branch of the ISPCA but couldn't reach them. I then returned to the park and asked the park warden if he could do anything. Here's how the conversation went -
Me - "Excuse me, does anyone look after those swans?"
Warden - "Yes."
Me - "There's a swan caught in a fishing line. Could you phone someone?"
Warden - "That's ok."
Me - "There's a swan DYING!"
Warden - "That's ok, people are allowed to fish here."

This warden had very poor English skills and seemed to think I was complaining about some kids fishing nearby. A similar incident happened a few weeks ago. I told a different warden that a swan had gotten caught in a fishing line. He looked out at the river at the swan in distress and laughed. I asked could he phone someone and he said something in Polish and then he pretty much laughed in my face before he went back to drinking his coffee and talking to his friend. Before anyone accuses me of being against Polish immigrants, I'm not, I'm just describing how hard it is to get anyone to help the swans here.

I think the Carlow county council needs to take better care of these swans. One option would be to ban fishing from certain parts of the river (I know I'll be unpopular for even suggesting that). Another option would be to employ someone to look after the swans. Right now it seems that the ISPCA isn't even active in Carlow.

As for the last swan I saw get caught in a fishing line, I think he is ok. I left a message with the main branch of the ISPCA and they phoned me back to say someone had went out to help. I don't know what happened after that as the man that phoned couldn't tell me any more. This swan had brown markings on his head and I have since seen a swan with markings in a similar pattern, so I guess it's the same one.

The whole country is ****ed and you want the CC to use their money to protect some swans

magicbastarder

it appears he does. which is quite a rational standpoint to take.

Mothman

Kaldorn wrote: »

I know its not related but i was driving down the strawberry beds this morning and the cars where backed up a good bit and i noticed it was a swan in the middle of the road,when i eventually got up to him he started to bash the mirroe and the door and the window with his beak..have no idea why he was attacking cars

The swan was seeing its reflection and was trying to fight off the supposed intruder.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Fighting Irish,
Why re-activate an old thread just to swear and deride someone who has a bit of compassion? If we as a society stop caring about the world around us the country will be in an even worse state, regardless of what wealth we have.

magicbastarder

it's become a particularly irish phenomenon, to view something as worthless unless you can attach a euro price tag to it.

Connacht

Magic,
I've been posting on Boards a bit and reading it a lot longer and more often. Your comment above is possibly the most pertinent I've ever read.

Irish Guitarist

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The whole country is ****ed and you want the CC to use their money to protect some swans

I haven't looked back at this thread for a while and I just saw this comment.

Did you not notice this thread is in the "Nature & Bird Watching" section? If you don't care about nature or birds why would you even bother reading anything here? And I don't see how it would cost any extra money to protect "some swans". There's already a park warden there, all the council have to do is to tell him to keep an eye on the swans while he's walking past them. It also wouldn't cost much to put up a sign or two telling people to be careful and not to discard their fishing lines.

One reason the country is in the state it is is because more and more Irish people think of nothing but themselves. If you do insist on putting a price tag on everything though, you should consider how many people these swans attract. They're a tourist attraction. Most tourists come to Ireland because it's supposedly green and beautiful and because the people are supposedly so friendly. If Irish people continue to disrespect nature and wildlife (and other people) no one will ever want to come here on holiday again. I know I certainly wouldn't want to visit a country that's full of people that think of nothing but their own wealth.

I fail to see how letting swans be strangled to death is going to help the economy.

sorella

Amen to all of this.

Mind you, we would just wade in and deal with it ourselves if the warden was like that.

Or try to...

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I haven't looked back at this thread for a while and I just saw this comment.

Did you not notice this thread is in the "Nature & Bird Watching" section? If you don't care about nature or birds why would you even bother reading anything here? And I don't see how it would cost any extra money to protect "some swans". There's already a park warden there, all the council have to do is to tell him to keep an eye on the swans while he's walking past them. It also wouldn't cost much to put up a sign or two telling people to be careful and not to discard their fishing lines.

One reason the country is in the state it is is because more and more Irish people think of nothing but themselves. If you do insist on putting a price tag on everything though, you should consider how many people these swans attract. They're a tourist attraction. Most tourists come to Ireland because it's supposedly green and beautiful and because the people are supposedly so friendly. If Irish people continue to disrespect nature and wildlife (and other people) no one will ever want to come here on holiday again. I know I certainly wouldn't want to visit a country that's full of people that think of nothing but their own wealth.

I fail to see how letting swans be strangled to death is going to help the economy.

meathstevie

Why not do something yourself ? Or try to anyway; a pen knife and a pair of wellies could have gone a long way. Especially if the swan was practically strangled and couldn't put up much of a fight when you try to cut him loose.

stevoman

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The whole country is ****ed and you want the CC to use their money to protect some swans

Not a great comment IMO. So what if the country is in a recession. We as humans have been given the gift to be able to manage their habitats. I think County Council money would be better spent on maintaining wildlife than say, building incinerators.

Irish Guitarist

stevoman wrote: »

Not a great comment IMO. So what if the country is in a recession. We as humans have been given the gift to be able to manage their habitats. I think County Council money would be better spent on maintaining wildlife than say, building incinerators.

I agree. There's far worse things that the council could spend their money on than protecting wildlife.
I think that if animals are in danger because of the carelessness and stupidity of humans, then other humans should help them out. As for the comment about why I didn't help myself, on the second occasion that this happened I did return to the river with a pair of pliers to see if I could cut the line. However I couldn't get close enough to the swan. Also the line was actually inside his bill. Although these swans are friendly I can't imagine them letting me put my hand inside their mouths.
It's been a while since I saw this happen but now that the weather is improving kids are starting to fish again. Just today I saw a swan with a fishing line wrapped around his leg. He didn't appear to be in any immediate danger but it can't be comfortable for him.
I find it sickening that Carlow has these beautiful swans but that no one seems to care about them.

stick-dan

It is sickening! The swans in carlow are very beautiful and a great asset to the county. There really is no quick fix solution to this. A warden would be a help but he's not going to be able to watch every swan intently. And if a swan is in distress what is the warden to do. Wardens would need to be specially trained for such occurences as swans are extremely violent and tempermental creatures at times. And even if we get a warden it would be after the busy season where all the kids will be fishing and this will have already taken it's toll. Is there an alternate fishing area in the town away from the swans? Maybe this would be a good solution to move the people away.

stevoman

stick-dan wrote: »

It is sickening! The swans in carlow are very beautiful and a great asset to the county. There really is no quick fix solution to this. A warden would be a help but he's not going to be able to watch every swan intently. And if a swan is in distress what is the warden to do. Wardens would need to be specially trained for such occurences as swans are extremely violent and tempermental creatures at times. And even if we get a warden it would be after the busy season where all the kids will be fishing and this will have already taken it's toll. Is there an alternate fishing area in the town away from the swans? Maybe this would be a good solution to move the people away.

even a few signs for anglers to be aware an careful would help. its very little but a start. of course it would probobly take about a 1 hour chat on joe duffy and an intervention from a TD to even get that one!:rolleyes:

stick-dan

stevoman wrote: »

even a few signs for anglers to be aware an careful would help. its very little but a start. of course it would probobly take about a 1 hour chat on joe duffy and an intervention from a TD to even get that one!:rolleyes:

Yeah it probably would take such an intervention but with joe incapacitated now that would be happening lol. signs would be a helop though in all seriousness.

Irish Guitarist

stick-dan wrote: »

It is sickening! The swans in carlow are very beautiful and a great asset to the county. There really is no quick fix solution to this. A warden would be a help but he's not going to be able to watch every swan intently. And if a swan is in distress what is the warden to do. Wardens would need to be specially trained for such occurences as swans are extremely violent and tempermental creatures at times. And even if we get a warden it would be after the busy season where all the kids will be fishing and this will have already taken it's toll. Is there an alternate fishing area in the town away from the swans? Maybe this would be a good solution to move the people away.

I don't think the warden would necessarily have to help the swans himself. He could be given the phone number of someone who could help. Members of the public could also tell this warden if they noticed a swan in trouble.

I've noticed that the swans have tags on their ankles so I assume they're a protected species and they're being monitored, although you'd never guess that by the way they're treated. Someone should put a sign in the park (and in other areas by the Barrow) with a number for members of the public to phone if they see a swan in trouble. A sign saying something like "please don't leave fishing lines lying around" might help too. A bigger help might be a sign saying something like "€50 fine for leaving fishing lines lying around".

getz

i notice that in this weeks angling times ,is a photo of a swan that has killed a fox that tried to take its eggs-the swan has left the fox next to her nest as a warning to other enemies

Rainbowsend

getz wrote: »

i notice that in this weeks angling times ,is a photo of a swan that has killed a fox that tried to take its eggs-the swan has left the fox next to her nest as a warning to other enemies

That might ward off other foxes, maybe it should add a few fishing rods as well

As for the comment by Fighting Irish.........the wildlife of this country deserves to be protected it is what makes the country a popular place for tourists to visit, boosting the economy. In my opinion a very valuable asset for any small country to have is a thriving wildlife population.

Super-Rush

Sorry for re-activating this thread but i was looking for info on something else and saw it. First off this happens all over the country and as an angler i am embarrassed by the actions of a small minority, which consists not only of juvenile anglers but uneducated anglers as well. Most anglers discard of any rubbish before they go home in a safe manner (i bring mine home) also if there is rubbish around the area i am fishing i will clean it up before is start. Banning angling from certain sections of the river is not the answer, the answer lies in education. Young kids should be taught from an early age to respect the river and all its inhabitants. Why not contact the local fishing club and ask them to put up signs on the river asking people to take their rubbish home and the damage items like discarded fishing line and empty cans can do. Waterways Ireland should have put up these sign in the first place and i know that the local Waterways officer Billy would me more than happy to help. If anyone wants the contact numbers of the local fishing club or waterways officer can contact me by pm.