More than 30 birds die at Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens amid avian flu outbreak
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More than 30 Royal Parks birds have died from suspected avian flu since the beginning of November, the charity has confirmed.
The remains of the birds - mainly geese and swans - were found at Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens following a UK-wide avian flu outbreak.
Members of the public have been urged not to feed or touch birds on their visits to parks.
A Royal Parks spokesperson said the charity is "very concerned" about the bird flu outbreak and said it is closely monitoring its waterfowl.
"In two of the spaces we manage, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, we believe that some birds have possibly contracted and died from avian influenza.
"We have alerted Defra and are waiting to hear back on whether they can test them for the disease."
The group has preemptively moved a colony of pelicans in St James’s Park to their enclosure on Duck Island.
"It’s important that visitors do not feed the wildlife," the spokesperson added. "Feeding encourages birds to group together, which increases the risk of transmission of avian influenza between birds.
"Dogs should also be on leads near waterbodies and kept away from birds."
Defra says there have been 113 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in England since 1 October 2022.
While it is highly contagious in the bird population, the UK Health Security Agency says the risk to the general public’s health is very low.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said bird flu poses a "very low" food safety risk for UK consumers and properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.
Asda and Lidl have said they are limiting the number of boxes of eggs customers can buy amid supply disruptions caused by rising costs and bird flu.
Anyone who spots sick or dead birds in the Royal Parks should call 0300 061 2000 or email hq@royalparks.org.uk.
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