Swan Song

As a youngster I was always taught to treat swans with respect. The word was that mute swans as they are known are particularly aggressive should they feel threatened.
Yet just recently I have been appalled at youngsters chasing these elegant, indeed aiming kicks at them. Fortunately perhaps the swans have simply scuttled back to the water.
They will become aggressive if they believe their nesting young are threatened, but as a youngster I was taught that any aggressive behaviour towards them was more than likely to see individual words retalliating.
Think what damage an angry swan could do. They are among the biggest flying creatures and with a wingspan of up to ten feet could do an awful lot of damage  should you be struck by one who feels aggrieved.
Which makes me wonder what parents are thinking, allowing their youngsters to share, even kick at the swans at the water's edge.  Fortunately I have not seen a swan avenging treatment it is receiving from these youngsters.
But I think every time they are dicing with the possibility of the swan turning against them.