RT on Instagram: "An unmarked swan caused havoc on London railways after taking up residence on the tracks, completely paralyzing an entire train line and testing the limits of an ancient law. Commuters wishing to escape from the London suburb of Bishop’s Stortford were thwarted by the swan, who true to form began swanning about on the tracks like he was owned by the King. Because he was.Anyone who has ever been to a real British pub quiz will know two things: 1) they are all rigged in favor of the pub owner’s friends and 2) there’s always a question about the ownership of swans. It is a rather ancient and yet surprisingly well-known law that all unmarked cygnet swans are property of the Crown. Only the King himself is allowed to hunt and eat unmarked swans, and only those who are rich nobles were allowed to mark swans as theirs, providing it was done by Michaelmas and approved by the Swanmoot and the Royal Swannerd (we swear we’re not making any of this up). And while laws regarding the eating of swans on train tracks have been superseded by wildlife laws preventing cruelty to swans, the monarch still technically has the ownership of all swans in England to this day, although Elizabeth II voluntarily limited herself to just the River Thames. Charles III’s swan eating policy has not yet been disclosed.One other organization, historically, maintained the right to eat swans, after siding with King Charles I during the English Civil Wars – St John’s College, Cambridge. And where was the train going that the swan so brutally blocked? Cambridge. See, even the swans know about the law.After 15 minutes the swan got bored of its own antics and flew away." | Zootzle
