All my beautiful ducklings gone !

Question

Our lovely friendly duck was so proud of her twelve ducklings, swimming up and down showing them off, they were absolutely beautiful causing harm to no one. They were very happy..... 
 
 
 Until the Big Daddy came along !! This is the male swan which has been nesting with his female in our neigbours garden. 
 
 
 He decided he did not want any ducklings near their nest and over three days he has relentlessly pursued the poor duck and her ducklings up and down the canal, killing them one by one. The duck was a really good mother trying to protect them as best she could, we tried to help by squirting the swan with a hose pipe to keep him away from them, but obviously he just bided his time until we were not around. Last night was the final battle, there were two ducklings left and he decided he would kill them as well, he was pursuing them up and down the canal by our garden, we squirted him with the hose pipe and the mother duck stayed by us with her ducklings, but after a while she decided to swim off with them, and needless to say the swan went after them. It was a terrible battle, the mother duck protecting them as best she could getting an injury herself when the swan caught hold of her leg, she managed to escape onto the tow path, but the swan went after the ducklings and one by one held them under the water and then shook them until they were dead. What a dreadful thing to happen, there was nothing we could do except feel traumatised and helpless. 
 Later on the mother duck flew into our garden, limping and calling for her ducklings, a very sorry sight. 
 The swan was out today showing off his own beautiful family. I would like to know why did he do this, was it because by killing the ducklings he is protecting the food supply for his family, it certainly wasn't to eat them he left them floating in the canal. 
 
 Linda

Woodpecker · Answer

Hi Linda 
 Poor you, and poor duck. What a terrible thing to happen. I don't know what to say. 
 I didn't know that swans might behave like this either. I suppose that what has been suggested could be the only possibility, that he was protecting the food source or his territory for his family. 
 What a really sad thing to witness. 
 Best wishes Chris

Buzzard · Answer

Hi Linda, sorry to hear about the ducklings. 
 Nature can be very cruel. 
 The Mute Swan will generally not tolerate other waterfowl in its territory, competition for habitat and their large size
 make mute swans a potential threat to resident waterfowl. 
 It is more than capable of chasing and killing other wildfowl species including, Moorhens, Coots, Geese and other swans. 
 The fledglings of all species will also be killed, the Swan was basically protecting his own. It's territory may be defended all year round but more so during the breeding season. 
 They will often attack humans especially if they feel a threat to the cygnets. 
 The cob is capable of breaking a humans arm with a powerful strike from his wings. 
 
 Not all adult swans are aggressive, but people need to recognize that they are wild animals, not a friendly creature with loving human traits. 
 
 Regards Buzzard