Dead swans litter German island as bird flu spreads

The leader of a team recovering the birds on Germany's biggest island said he was overwhelmed by the number of dead birds.

"We need a helicopter," he said. "We are being helped by volunteers but there are not enough protective suits and face masks."

Tourists discovered the bodies of two mute swans and a goshawk in the west of the island on Wednesday. The remains were initially identified as Germany's first cases of bird flu by the country's Friedrich Loeffler research institute the same day. Forty more birds were being examined.

Officials said hundreds more dead swans littered the island's coastline, which is clogged by ice floes. They said harsh winters normally caused the deaths of swans in the region, but bird flu could not be ruled out.

The scenes on Ruegen provoked criticism from Germany's opposition parties. Guido Westerwelle, the leader of the liberal Free Democrats said: "Is it responsible to leave dead swans lying around with nobody picking them up?"

If H5N1 is suspected or confirmed in any EU country, authorities must immediately set up an inner protection zone, surrounded by a surveillance zone and an extra buffer zone.

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