Published14 September 2024, 17:30
Lake Zurich: Man pets and feeds swans – video causes uproar
In Zurich, a man splashed around with around 15 swans. A video of this caused an uproar on Instagram. A zookeeper warned that the action was dangerous.
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An elderly man bathed with dozens of mute swans in Lake Zurich.
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The swimmer fed and even petted the wild animals.
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A video of the bathing action caused horror on Instagram.
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A zookeeper classifies the action as dangerous.
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“Swans have a bone in their wing. If they hit with it, it can cause serious injuries,” says Jasmin Morgenthaler.
This summer, Lake Zurich once again attracted countless swimmers to the water: water temperatures of up to 28 degrees delighted the people of Zurich. One swimmer in particular caused a stir: the man splashed around with around 15 mute swans, seemingly carefree, while stroking and feeding the animals from his hand. The account “Szene isch Züri” recently published a video of the action on Instagram. The author wrote: “Brave Zurich residents.”
This video is currently causing a stir: A man bathes with around 15 swans in Lake Zurich, petting and feeding them.
Instagram/szene_isch_zueri
In the comments under the post, many users expressed their horror. “You don’t touch wild animals!” wrote one user. Another wrote: “That’s not brave, that’s just stupid!” One user countered: “I don’t see a problem. Swans aren’t really dangerous… and if the swans don’t like it… the lake is certainly big enough!” Other users joked about the action – and wrote: “We Zurichers just don’t know anything!” or: “Cool guy!”
Animal keeper warns
Animal keeper Jasmin Morgenthaler works at the Lange Erlen zoo in Basel, where ducks, swans and geese are also kept. She assesses the situation: “The action seems quite dangerous. Swans are not harmless animals. They have their territory, which they defend. If people come too close, they may feel threatened.”
This can have serious consequences. “First, the animals usually hiss to show that they feel threatened. Then they flap their wings or maybe snap,” says Morgenthaler. The dangerous thing about this is that “swans have a bone in their wing that protrudes when they flap. If they hit with it, it can cause injuries – such as bruises or even a broken arm.”
In particular, petting should be avoided. “Wild animals are not used to being touched. They might then become afraid, frightened or aggressive,” says Morgenthaler. In general, “if the swans stay at a distance, I would do the same.”
Feeding wild animals is prohibited in Zurich
Feeding the animals bread is also not a good idea. “Bread contains a lot of salt, which is not healthy for birds. They get stomach or digestive problems,” says the zookeeper. If at all, the birds should only be fed with suitable food, such as bird food from the pet shop.
On January 1, 2023, the new hunting law came into force in the canton of Zurich. It states that wild animals may not be fed. The hunting law makes exceptions for the moderate feeding of songbirds, waterfowl and squirrels. So the swimmer probably did not violate the law.
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