Rescuers kayak into pond to recover dead swans during bird flu outbreak

The small team of volunteers were called to a park in east London (Picture: Getty)

Two dozen dead swans had to be scooped out by wildlife rescue workers as a wave of bird flu circles east London.

Volunteers from the waterfowl rescue charity the Swan Sancurtary had to kayak into Eagle Pond in Wanstead Park to remove the bird’s bodies last week.

The charity sent a small team down after receiving multiple calls from distressed park-goers throughout the day.

Haunting images show the swans facedown in the lake, with some of the bodies having reportedly been there for a week.

Of 14 baby swans, one flew away and 10 of the remaining 13 died along with adult birds. A handful of the flock survived.

Swan Sanctuary volunteer Gill Walker said the sight of dead birds might become an increasingly familiar sight in the UK as bird flu rips through the nation.

From Lancashire to Cambridgeshire, an outbreak of the disease is raising fear levels across farms, backyard flocks and even the Tower of London ravens.

Volunteers had to ride in kayaks to recover them (Picture: Helen O’Rourke / SWNS)

Distressed passers-by phoned the Swan Sanctuary after seeing the birds floating in the pond (Picture: Helen O’Rourke / SWNS)

Volunteer Louisa Green helped pull some two dozen dead swans out of the east London park (Picture: Helen O’Rourke / SWNS)

Since October, there have been 234 cases of avian influenza, better known as the bird flu, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Defra confirmed earlier this month that cases of bird flu were confirmed in Epping Forest on November 1.

But it seems it was too late for the swans in Wanstead Park, said Walker, who warns the government’s caseload count is likely lower than the true tally.

‘We had a volunteer team of four plus a photographer at Eagle Pond to remove bodies, some of which had been on the water for a week,’ she said.

‘I was receiving multiple calls daily from the distressed public. So in an effort to reduce spread, we undertook the task.

‘We had a health and safety briefing and bodies were double bagged and sprayed with recommended disinfectant.

‘I used my private estate car because obviously nothing with avian flu can go in my ambulance for the birds.

‘I’d intended to take them to the City of London base where I know they have secure facilities, but by good fortune, the Epping Forest Keepers arrived as we were finishing and transported the bodies.’

Bird flu is a contagious and deadly virus that can prey on chickens and turkeys as well wild birds such as swans, ducks and geese.

Walker said bird flu carries a daunting 90 to 100% death rate for both swans and chickens.

And she claimed that the virus has crept across east London. ‘It started in Fairlop, then it moved across to Valentine’s Park then it jumped over the North Circular and into Barking park,’ she said.

‘It’s probably approaching from some other areas as well.’

More than 200 cases of bird flu has been recorded by environmental officials (Picture: Getty Images/EyeEm)

‘It’s not our responsibility to move bodies, sometimes there is a virus and leaving them puts other birds at risks.

‘But really it’s the responsibility of the landowners and we always tell those land owners you need to double-bag the bodies and label them and get in touch with Defra.

‘It’s very important to check the bird bodies because it the disease can be transmitted to mammals.

‘I don’t believe there are any cases of humans suffering from this outbreak, but that is only something Defra could test.

‘In my local area, there are three flocks, one in Jubilee Pond and one in Eagle Pond in Wanstead Park and one in Hollow Pond near Walthamstow.

‘I think around 100 birds in those flocks have died in this outbreak.’

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Walker said that if people spot a sickened bird sickened that isn’t obviously in distress, people should leave them be as they recover.

But if they are looking worse for wear or are on the river bank rather than the water, then euthanasia might be the only option.

A Defra spokesperson said there have been no reported bird flu cases in London among poultry or captive birds since October.

If members of the public find an infected or dead bird, the department says they should not touch or pick them up.

‘Several wild birds have tested positive for avian influenza over the past year,’ they said.

‘Reports to the Defra Helpline of found dead wild birds are triaged and not all birds will be collected.

‘Wild birds are susceptible to a range of diseases and injuries and not all dead birds will have been infected with avian influenza.

‘Members of the public should call the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77) if they find one or more dead bird of prey (including owls), 3 or more dead gulls or wild waterfowl (swans, geese and ducks), 5 or more dead birds of any species.’

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WARNING: Readers may find some images in this article distressing.