Swan Song For Mr ASBO?

Mr ASBO may be nearing the end of his days on the River Cam, as the Cam Conservancy have decided to request for his eviction.

At a special meeting this morning, the decision was made by the Cam Conservancy – the group who look after the river – to ask Natural England for the boatie-battering swan to be removed. If successful, the bird would be moved to a secluded stretch of water.

Hope for Mr ASBO, also known as STALIN, lies in the fact that rowers tried to have him removed last year, to no avail.

This is the latest in a run of bad fortune for the animal though going back to December, when he was viciously attacked by a mystery assailant.

The bird was found covered in its own blood and a Maple College vet in Milton found puncture wounds “similar to those inflicted by animal teeth.”

The swan was able to make a full recovery by January, but this may have been of little satisfaction to many river users.

Rowers are not keen on the swan as it is prone to attack them

Mr ASBO initially hit the headlines in the summer of 2009 for his attacks on rowers, with Cambridgeshire Rowing Association President Bill Key raising concerns in April last year: “The cox of my own crew is frightened to go in the water because she received bruising from an attack.”

His behaviour was so startling that it even captured the attention of cheeky BBC frontman Adrian Chiles, whose crew ‘Swan Whisperer’ Michelle Childerley caught allegedly provoked the swan to snap some footage for The One Show.

And students have certainly not grown to love the swan over time, with one Queens’ rower darkly speculating to The Tab recently that the swan was “strong enough to break limbs.”

Whether this is the end for Mr ASBO or not, this colourful character will likely be remembered for his antics for a long time yet.