A man who was shoved into a canal for trying to stop a woman from kicking two fighting swans has slammed the 'coward' who pushed him.
It was initially thought that the woman had been kicking two mating swans, but it's since been revealed that she was trying to stop them from fighting.
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As you can see from the shocking footage above, the woman is kicking them, before Jeffrey Phillips intervenes and is pushed in by a younger man, in Limehouse in east London.
Police are looking for the woman and a man who was with her after the incident on Friday, which was caught on camera.
Mr Phillips, 55, lives nearby and says that he has learned the 'ins and outs' of the swans' lives, claiming that they often fight, and when they do they 'fight to the death'.
Mr Phillips, who is a teacher, told MailOnline: "Swans are very territorial and I learnt a few years ago that when they fight, they fight to the death. I've tried to separate them in the past and you just can't and it's horrible to watch but it's just nature.
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"Everybody was watching the swans and I was trying to tell families with young children to keep their kids away when these punks came round the corner throwing bottles, cans, anything they could find to try and separate the swans.
"But I know you cannot separate swans through distraction or anything like that. It was when one dark curly haired kid threw a nearly full litre bottle of Fanta orange and actually hit the aggressive swan that I said 'you can't do this, these birds are a protected species'.
"I went over to have words with him when his big gorilla of a friend squared up to me and the next thing I knew I was in the water. I got hit completely blindsided by another kid and lost my glasses. He should replace them, that's the least he could do."
Speaking to MailOnline, another eyewitness said: "I watched the entire episode and the swans were not mating, they were fighting to the death. One was father of nine cygnets nearby and one was from a pair who were being territorial.
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"They had been sparring for some time before crowds gathered and had sparred several times in previous days without a fight actually breaking out. The girl was trying to separate the swans to avoid one of them being killed.
"The one to pursue is the idiot boy in the blue shirt who pushed the man in the canal."
Responding to the video on social media, Metropolitan Police Superintendent Andy Cox said: "Awful viewing. Animal cruelty is an indicator of many other vile behaviours and a tendency towards other forms of violence.
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"The assault & anti social behaviour needs our action. Help us by letting us know who these offenders are via 101 or confidentially via Crimestoppers."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter