Avian Influenza Update - Autumn 2022
Usually, avian influenza has died out by March or April - but this year we have had no abatement – even during the hot summer months. You may have heard or read about the thousands of seabirds that died in the Shetlands and coastal Scotland in June and July.
From Monday 17th October 2022 the whole of the UK was put under an Avian Influenza Protection Zone by DEFRA, due to the rising cases, and from Monday 7th November all captive birds must again be kept indoors and strict bio security measures put in place. We had already taken these precautions. This means we are restricting rescues to ‘rescue and release’ where possible, as we cannot risk bringing an infected bird on site. We look at each case individually and assess it before deciding.
We are also currently covering two pens to increase our protection from wild birds, which will kindly be paid for by donations and sales of our Swan Lifeline calendar.
