Update –BirdLife Malta in a statement has said that Dr Eurydike Kovacs, who provides professional veterinary care to rescued birds on behalf of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) and is also a BirdLife Malta Council member, this afternoon visited Marsalforn Valley and inspected the Mute Swans.

An initial assessment done on site suggests that the birds are generally in good health, and above all it suggests that progress was registered after the birds were fed the appropriate food and measures were taken to decrease the stress caused by too many people watching them from very close range, the NGO said.

BirdLife Malta added that “the government-appointed veterinary expert is also suggesting that the isolated juvenile swan which is further down the valley be rejoined with the rest of the flock. She will now report back to the authorities with her recommendations for action to be taken.”

The Mute Swans which are currently at Marsalforn Valley in Gozo were fed fodder – a mix of legumes and cereals (gwiez), by BirdLife Malta volunteers this week, as shown in the video below.

BirdLife said that this is the appropriate food for these birds and we continue to urge the general public not to feed them bread as this would do them more harm than good and can cause them irreparable damage in the long run, even though it may seem harmless.

“Since swans are to be found near water, if given bread this often tends to become moist, or even completely wet. Because of that, the bread gets sticky and can also block the throat, gets stuck inside the beak and prevents the swan from feeding further, and in some cases even to be able to drink water or breathe, which of course can have fatal consequences,” the NGO said.

BirdLife added that this interesting article shows why such birds should NOT be fed bread: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/stop-feeding-bread-ducks-people

BLM said that the swans can still be enjoyed by the public, and although the area has been cordoned off, it is still accessible to the public.

BirdLife Malta pointed out that it will continue to cooperate with the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) on this issue after being asked for its assistance.

The decision to limit as much possible any disturbance to the birds was taken yesterday by WBRU and the Veterinary Regulation Directorate together with the Gozo Police in the best interests of the safety of the birds and of the general public, BLM said.

BirdLife Malta thanked the general public, the Gozo Police and the authorities “for the collective effort being shown to ensure that everyone can continue enjoying this rare spectacle of nature which has unexpectedly graced us during the first days of this new year.”

Photo by Aron Tanti and video footage by James Symonds and Nimrod Mifsud, editing by Iryna Lukashuk, BirdLife Malta).

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