Three swans found dead on a nature reserve in southwest England have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu.
The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed avian influenza in the wild mute swans – a common, all-white breed – in Abbotsbury, near Chesil Beach, Dorset.
A surveillance programme is under way to determine whether the virus, which can pass to humans, has infected other wild birds and ducks at the bird sanctuary. So far no disease has been found in domestic birds nearby.
About 800 swans, as well as other birds, feed and breed in the nature reserve's wetlands.
The swannery, which was originally set up in the 11th century by Benedictine monks who regarded swan meat as a delicacy, is a popular visitor attraction.
Britain's first case of the deadly avian flu strain was in a wild swan found dead in Scotland in 2006. There have subsequently been outbreaks at poultry farms in eastern England, most recently last November.
The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds have either died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.
Irish poultry producers have installed water chlorination systems, among other measures, to ensure their flockes are protected.
