Avian flu warning issued at popular Welsh lake

An avian flu warning has been issued after two swans were found dead at a popular lake in Wales.

Testing carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency has confirmed that two swans, found dead at Roath Park Lake in Cardiff, died of avian flu.

Avian Flu has previously been confirmed in a bird that died at Cardiff Bay.

The risk to public health is low as it is rare for the H5N1 strain of the flu to be passed on to humans, but as a precaution, Cardiff Council is advising the public to avoid contact with dead or sick birds.

In addition the council advised against feeding wild birds in public places as this encourages them to gather, increasing the risk of transmission.

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

If you touch any dead birds, droppings, feathers or other material that has touched a dead bird, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible.

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 or by using their online reporting tool HERE