Swan known as "Mr Asbo" barred from River Cam after terrifying rowers

A notorious swan nicknamed "Mr Asbo" has been secretly removed from his river after stepping up his attacks on Cambridge rowers, it has emerged.

The angry cob and his mate were plucked from their nest on the River Cam and whisked off to a secret location 60 miles away last week.

Authorities said they were forced take action after the creature's attacks on terrified river users intensified over the past three weeks.

Natural England agreed to grant a rare emergency license to remove the birds - usually forbidden during mating season.

Brave volunteers, wearing protective clothing, scooped up the birds and transferred them out of the city where they had left the rowing community in fear.

However, Mr Asbo's supporters yesterday branded the move "despicable".

Mr Asbo's greatest defender Robin Middleton, known as "Battleship Bob", who lives on a boat moored at Upware, Cambs., was outraged by the removal.

The retired boatman said: "It's bang out of order. What right do they have to take him? He is a very intelligent swan and this is despicable."

Lee Culley, whose boat is moored near to where Mr Asbo was nesting, said: "I'm alarmed. They were just nesting."

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Rowers and river conservators welcomed the move as an end to the violent attacks they have endured. River manager Dr Pip Noon said: "The obvious reason to have them moved is for welfare and we were concerned for the level of disturbance to the birds during breeding season.

"The male had escalated his attacks on rowers this season and his behavior had worsened.

"He wasn't able to control his behavior.

"He was at risk of causing serious injury, but also of being seriously injured himself."

An experienced rower and coach for X-Press Boat Club, Silvia Breu, 36, welcomed the news as she had been battered, bitten and swooped on by the swan.

She said: "He is not like the other swans on the river.

"As soon as he saw you approach he would be there waiting and there was no way around him as he would sit in the middle and then close in to attack you.

"Once he even did a 'drone-style attack', taking off and flapping into my lap, virtually knocking me out.

"He's pretty heavy, so it's a big thump when he hits you."

Dr James Howard, a rower whose blog first described the antics of the swan,
said: "I'm glad to hear Mr Asbo has finally been moved, this always seemed to me to be the only realistic way of protecting him.

"I don't think any of the humans using the river come out of this episode well.

"The rowers could undoubtedly have done more to avoid hitting him.

"But those who took it upon themselves to look after this wild animal should accept some responsibility for his behaviour."