Some 120 swans evolving on the canals of the "Venice of the North" have been sheltered to escape any risk of contamination by avian flu, after the discovery of the first cases in the country.
The operation, carried out by the municipal services, ended on Thursday.
The captured swans were then taken to a refuge to be confined.
"It is not easy to catch them, but we must protect them from the passage of migratory birds, it is an obligation of the federal government", explained Dirk De fauw, the mayor of the city.
Deprived of food for five days
An outbreak of bird flu was identified on November 13 at a bird sanctuary in Ostend, not far from Bruges, leading the Belgian government to impose confinement, of poultry and birds, on all those who hold it, including individuals.
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The process for catching the swans was as follows: after five days without food, seeds were finally brought to them, a way of setting a "trap" for them, said the municipal services.
The capture itself took place over two days.
In Bruges, a fortified medieval city, the swans are the property of the city, unlike the ducks and herons, which have for their part escaped confinement.