Dozens of dead swans found in London spark fears of bird flu outbreak

Fears of a bird flu outbreak are increasing aft dozens of dormant swans were recovered successful nan London Docklands area successful caller days.

The Canal and River Trust, which looks aft England’s waterways, said astatine slightest 30 swans person been recovered dormant successful and astir West India and Millwall Dock waterways adjacent Canary Wharf.

Authorities are investigating whether nan wide die-off is tied to vertebrate flu, which is often fatal for nan animals.

Canal & River Trust ecologist Ben Macmillan said: “Our kindness continues to liaise pinch Defra, who recovered carcasses past week and are carrying retired tests to find origin of death. A master contractor has now collected 30 dormant birds, each swans, from our waterways successful and astir West India and Millwall Dock.

“To limit imaginable dispersed of this suspected avian flu outbreak, we would pass members of nan nationalist not to touch immoderate dormant birds they find, but to study them to Defra.”

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries retired year-round surveillance of dormant chaotic birds arsenic portion of its chaotic vertebrate surveillance programme.

It will cod a maximum of 5 birds from a peculiar location for testing erstwhile a wide die-off is reported.

An APHA spokesperson said: “We are alert of a number of swan deaths astir West India and Millwall docks, and are investigating this arsenic portion of APHA's dormant chaotic vertebrate surveillance scheme.

“Members of nan nationalist are advised to not touch aliases prime up immoderate dormant aliases visibly sick birds that they find and should lavation their hands thoroughly pinch soap and h2o if they touch chaotic vertebrate faeces aliases feathers aliases aft feeding chaotic birds.”

Bird flu, aliases avian influenza, tin besides beryllium transmitted to humans done adjacent contact, but deaths are highly rare.

Symptoms of vertebrate flu for humans often commencement 4 to six days aft being successful interaction pinch an infected bird, and tin see a precocious temperature, cough, sore throat, and different flu-like symptoms.

The yearly census past July showed that swan numbers connected nan Thames were opening to retrieve aft being successful diminution since 2022 owed to outbreaks of vertebrate flu and quality cruelty.

The London Wildlife Trust has antecedently estimated Greater London’s swan organization to beryllium astir 8,500.