Around 12 swans have died at a lake in Swansea. There is a sign at Fendrod Lake, Llansamlet, saying the UK's Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been informed and that avian flu symptoms were present but it's not clear who put it up.
Wales is facing a heightened bird flu threat due to a growing number of confirmed cases among wild and kept birds in the UK and strict measures came into force last month for owners of kept birds - though Defra said it had not confirmed the presence of bird flu at Fendrod Lake. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
The lake is popular among walkers like David Wood, of Landore, who said he noticed a dead swan there last Friday, two on Saturday, and a further four on Sunday. He said he contacted environment regulator Natural Resources Wales on Friday to report the dead swan and was advised someone else had. He said he tried to get through the following day to say two more had died but was unable to.
Mr Wood estimated the lake was home to around 30 swans plus geese and other birds. "As far as I could see the only dead ones were swans," he said. "I've been walking at Fendrod Lake since 2012 and I've only seen three dead swans in that time so it's very rare."
Swansea Council said it has collected around a dozen dead swans from the lake but that it had not put up the sign.
Asked if bird flu had been identified a Defra spokesman said: "We have not confirmed avian influenza in that location."
The UK Health Security Agency said bird flu was a highly infectious disease but that it wasn't well adapted to infect people although some sub-types have been associated with disease in humans. It said a sub-type called H5N1 has come to dominate infections in birds globally and that it had also caused outbreaks among mink and mammals in some parts of the world and dairy cows in the United States.
The UK Government publishes weekly reports of bird flu cases in wild birds but doesn't collect all dead birds. Outbreaks of the H5N1 strain in 2021-22 and 2022-23 were a lot higher than 2023-24 and 2024-25, according to the data. The first confirmed case of H5N1 in Wales in 2025-26 was on October 25 following cases in Northern Ireland and England.
The public is advised not to touch or move any dead or sick wild birds and report dead ones to Defra online or by phoning 0345 9335577.