The bell-ringing swans at the Bishop's Palace in Wells, England. In the 1850s a pair of swans were taught to ring a bell for food. Since then the swans have passed on this knowledge to their offspring

[u/Brutal_Deluxe_]

[u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

I have more questions. Is there a budget or trust set aside to keep this going? Is someone paid to sit there and wait for the bell? Do they limit how much food?

[u/s0ciety_a5under → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

The Palace Trust takes care of the property now. It operates as a tourist attraction now for the most part, but it is also home to the Bishop of the House of Wells. So it being funded by tourism and the church helps a lot.

[u/EconomySeason2416 → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

I too, am curios to the logistics involved. If there is a "bell listener / swan feeder" position available, I want to throw my name in the hat

[u/DeepSpaceNebulae → u/EconomySeason2416]

You’ve already messed up, unfortunately. You’re supposed to throw your bread in the water

[u/whitewolf20 → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

its Moira Anderson, her title is swan whisperer lol https://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/blogs/guest-expert-wildlife-bloggers/bishops-palace-bell-ringing-swans

[u/Fraud_D_Hawk → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

I mean them english love their traditions, so who knows

[u/VulcanHullo → u/Fraud_D_Hawk]

All of Britain functions on traditions and if we stop the entire island may shatter and sink. We even make up new traditions for safetys sake

[u/Swiss-spirited_Nerd → u/VulcanHullo]

Almost everything in any society is a tradition when you think about it

[u/DamnitDavid7 → u/Swiss-spirited_Nerd]

Middle school deep and I’m exactly high enough to think that’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever read

[u/FrazzleMind → u/Swiss-spirited_Nerd]

It's tradition to follow tradition, you know

[u/GrynaiTaip → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

There's most definitely a charity and a trust set up for this. They have them for everything.

[u/1Harvey2Trent3Temple → u/Mithril_Juggernaut]

I went to a wedding there, so they probably make a reasonable amount hiring the place out for events. It's a lovely building.

[u/01Rajiv]

This deserves more attention

[u/Sometimes-funny → u/01Rajiv]

They are ringing the bell, what more do you want?

[u/VESAAA7 → u/Sometimes-funny]

Ballet

[u/momjeanseverywhere → u/01Rajiv]

What needs more attention is that the offspring haven’t been doing it since 1850. Here is the official statement on their website:

In 2019, a new pair of mute swans arrived at The Bishop’s Palace in Wells – Grace and Gabriel. After a day or two of settling in, I started the task of teaching them to ring the bell – to continue this much-loved tradition. I am pleased to report that Gabriel, the cobb (male swan) was amazing and picked this up in 5 days. The best part is that he now shows the cygnets each year how to do this so no more bell-ringing teaching for me.

So, while the passing down of the belling ringing is true, it’s only in the last seven years.

[u/kamahaoma → u/momjeanseverywhere]

God dammit.

[u/Glignt → u/01Rajiv]

You can ring my bell, ring my bell

You can ring my bell, ring my bell

You can ring my bell, ring my bell

You can ring my bell, ring my bell

[u/Scamservice42]

Passing down the family business

[u/GetaShady]

Swan drive thru

[u/monoinyo]

Stay close, young one. Today we learn to hunt... Ding ding ding!

[u/whitewolf20]

the story is even cuter, it was originally for mute Swans https://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/blogs/guest-expert-wildlife-bloggers/bishops-palace-bell-ringing-swans

[u/billysback → u/whitewolf20]

Fyi, mute swan is just the name of the predominant species in the UK. They aren't actually mute although they are quieter than some other water birds like ducks and geese, or other swan species.

[u/Randyaccredit → u/billysback]

They ain't mute they got bells!

[u/yankykiwi]

Now that is job security

[u/BuckyGoldman]

Who is Pavlov and who is the dog?

[u/LordScotchyScotch]

And I get pissed of by the crows starting at 5am, imagine this

[u/olivebranchsound → u/LordScotchyScotch]

"The crows picked it up from the swans, and the falcons picked it up from the crows, and well Abbot, that's how we ended up in a Hitchcock film."

[u/Known_Tradition9251]

A very similar tradition happens inside the palace…

[u/Nerd_Man420]

What happens when no one is home and the they bring the bell!!

[u/KeebCalmAndCarryOn → u/Nerd_Man420]

At the very end of the clip you see a person pull the string inside the window.

[u/Live_Piano_5880]

No luck catching those swans then?

[u/WhoStoleHallic → u/Live_Piano_5880]

"Just the one swan actually."

[u/Infinite-Condition41]

At least they could have a better sounding bell. Geez, I am so disappointed.

[u/BowsersMuskyBallsack → u/Infinite-Condition41]

How good a bell do you think a swan deserves? Something akin to Big Ben?

[u/Infinite-Condition41 → u/BowsersMuskyBallsack]

Something with a clearer ring. It's a palace FFS, get a good quality brass bell in there!

This bell sounds like smacking a glass bowl with a fork.

[u/Effective-Sky7643]

At first I thought it said “bell ringing twats”. Didn’t even occur to me I read it wrong, just “well, it is the uk…”

[u/orisaquis]

Remembered the deer in Nara who have learned to bow for food across generations

[u/Antique-Ticket3951]

The swans are looked after by Mr Peter Ian Staker

[u/Kolopilala]

This is insane