Bird flu suspected in mysterious deaths of swans

A spate of swan deaths in England is being investigated for links to a wave of avian flu from Europe, amid reports some birds were found spinning and bleeding from their nostrils. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked members of the public to report sightings of dead birds after confirming a number of cases of H5N8 in wild birds. Jan Harrigan, who oversees the Wychbold Swan Rescue centre in Worcestershire, said she had seen around 20 birds dying suddenly over the past week, with numbers rising every day. “I’m presuming that they’ve got bird flu,” she said. Small outbreaks of H5N8, which is circulating among wild bird populations in Europe, have been confirmed in geese and swans in Gloucestershire, Devon and Dorset. The risk to public health is low, Public Health England said.