Swans need to go back under tents to protect against bird flu

Created: 01/09/2023Updated: 01/09/2023 15:49

A shelter for swans.

© Markus Scholz/dpa

The Alster swans face danger from above.

At least eleven cases of the highly contagious avian influenza in Hamburg have already been confirmed.

In order to protect the city's symbolic landmarks, the animals now all go camping together.

Hamburg - Some of the approximately 120 Hamburg Alster swans are still paddling outdoors, but the animals have to disappear under a tent again this week.

To protect against bird flu, Hamburg's swan father Olaf Nieß and his team have set up a tent city of around 600 square meters on the Eppendorfer Mühlenteich.

"At the moment we are assuming that we can put the system into operation on Wednesday," said Nieß of the German Press Agency in Hamburg.

The pond is the winter quarters of the mute swans.

The animals spend every winter there.

In spring they are released back onto the Alster and its tributaries.

Some animals are already housed under a roof to protect them from avian influenza.

"We currently have an acute threat situation," said Nieß.

Due to several cases of avian influenza, the city has issued a city-wide stall requirement for poultry from Tuesday.

The Alster swans are considered to be a stock worthy of protection and are therefore kept in stables.

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is an infectious disease that mainly affects waterfowl and other birds.

According to the Hamburg authority for justice and consumer protection, twelve cases were known by Monday and eleven of them were confirmed by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute.

The finds were spread across the entire city.

It took about six days for Nieß and his team to set up the tent system.

This loss of time is annoying for the swan father.

"That's our huge problem, that we don't have a permanent hall and always have to build it up from scratch." The bird flu tent has been necessary almost every year for about ten years, Nieß continued.

According to the North District Office, the swans should have new quarters by the end of the year - with sufficient covered space for the swans.

The Hamburg swan act has a centuries-old tradition.

The office of the Swan Father has existed since 1674. The swans are one of the symbols of the Hanseatic city.

So that all the swans can move into the tent city, the area below and the facility still have to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

In addition, the system is hermetically sealed.

The disease locks are housed in a container this year.

The tent is completely straw-strewn and there is a small pond.

“The animals feel absolutely comfortable in the tent.

There are always three groups.

Some are bathing and on the water, the second is on land and the third is cleaning.” The groups would naturally rotate around.

"It's a totally funny dynamic and it's absolutely peaceful." dpa