Swan Kills Dog with Its Wings in Park as Owner Watches on in Horror as the Bird 'Beat Down on It'

A dog owner watched helplessly as a swan attacked and killed his dog at a park in Dublin, Ireland.

On Sunday, a cocker spaniel and her owner were at a duck pond at Bushy Park when an adult swan flew from the water and toward the pet who was swimming near the birds, according to The Irish Times.

The swan latched onto the dog, and “beat down on it, with one wing and then another,” as stated by an onlooker who witnessed the incident as he was feeding the ducks at the other end of the pond.

“We started screaming at the swan, trying to distract it,” he told The Irish Times. However, the swan quickly struck the dog to death.

“Three or four more slaps and she was gone,” the man said.

The witness also added that the dog’s owner was distraught about seeing the pet killed, which took just several seconds to occur. He even dropped his phone into the pond upon seeing the attack.

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“They need to put up signs telling people to keep their dogs on leads around the pond,” the witness said. “The swan was just protecting its cygnets.”

Peter Duignan, a Dublin City Council park ranger, arrived just after the incident, which occurred at 11 a.m., and retrieved the dog’s body with the help of two colleagues, using a small paddle boat and a net.

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“I have never heard of anything like this happening before,” Duignan said.

Bushy Park is located in Terenure, and is approximately 51 acres, according to its website. The park is open to visitors for a multitude of activities thanks to its football fields and 11 tennis courts, which are typically used by sporting clubs and groups in the area.