User:Pbh25/sandbox

Mr Asbo was an internationally famous swan who, between 2009 and 2012 attacked river users on the River Cam in Cambridge, UK.

History
In 2009 Mr Asbo became notorious for targeting rowers in particular and his aggression led some to call for his removal from his range of river which stretched from the Railway Bridge along a section of the River Cam called the Long Reach and up to a section called Grassy Corner. He was first named Mr Asbo by two rowers who lived on a houseboat nearby after he attacked one of them while she was coxing a Chesterton Rowing Club crew on the Long Reach. The local newspaper, the Cambridge Evening News, broke the story before it went worldwide. Several attempts were made to “tame” the swan, including the use of a “swan whisperer”. He was eventually moved from the river to a lake by the authorities.

Controversy
Media teams, particularly the crew of BBC's The One Show were accused of provoking the bird when trying to capture his antics on film, but they denied the claims.

Cultural impact
A folk song called The Balled of Mr Asbo was written in 2021 as part of Songs and Verses from North Cambridge: a series of arts projects commissioned and supported by The Chesterton Partnership developing Cambridge North.

Alleged offspring
Since his removal two other aggressive swans on the river have been cited in reports as carrying on his legacy: dubbed Asboy and Asbaby. There is no evidence to back-up the claims the two were related to Mr Abso. It is unlikely they are as their stretch of river has been along The Backs, a few miles upstream of Mr Asbo’s original range.