Imagine you’re out for a walk in the Phoenix Park, just enjoying the weather…when some eejit decides to grab a swan around its neck and yank it out of the water.

Well that’s what happened to Brenda Malloy, who witnessed the bloke having an ‘altercation’ with the bird — which soon turned violent.

Luckily, Brenda thought to get her camera out and snap the tough man, whose mug is currently all over Twitter.

‘The man was in an altercation with a swan. He was waving his arms in the air and the swan was pecking at him. His son was right next him in a buggy’ she told Joe Duffy on RTE’s Liveline.

Then the man went for a low blow, closing his fist around the animals throat, and trying to get it on dry land for a real fight.

‘He was pulling pretty hard. At first I said ”don’t do that” but he didn’t hear me. So I pulled out my camera and took the photographs.

‘It’s not nice for the son to see and it was dangerous’.

However, Brenda said the bloke didn’t have it all his own way, and the Swan put up a good fight.

‘The swan was very aggressive. I think people should understand we’re lucky to have Phoenix Park and people should be respectful of the wildlife and the park.’

A representative for BirdWatch Ireland later phoned in to Liveline and said Brenda’s pictures were ‘very disturbing’.

‘It looks like the man is trying to pull the swan out of the water. It’s very unsettling. Swans can be quite aggressive and that’s understandable it they’re trying to defend their eggs or chicks’ said Niall Hatcher.

Mr Hatcher reminded Liveline listeners that they can be prosecuted if they assault wild animals.

Another caller, named John, did try to explain the man’s actions, saying he and his kids were accosted by the angry birds in Citywest, and said: ‘They’re very aggressive for no reason…Maybe that man was afraid for his kids.’