Searching for the cause

“Suddenly a swan fell into my garden”

The dead swan was eventually picked up by a hunter.

(Bild: zVg)

A water bird caused quite a stir in Enns (Upper Austria): The animal suddenly crashed into the middle of a private garden. Experts believe that a collision with a power line was responsible for the unusual crash.

The fear that the sky could fall on your head is largely unfounded. But an Enns resident discovered on Wednesday that you are never completely safe in the open air. "I was already on my way to work when my neighbor called me and told me that a swan had just fallen in my garden!" The property owner, who wanted to remain unidentified, immediately turned back and alerted animal rescue because the seriously injured bird was still alive. Unfortunately, the majestic animal died during the phone call.

"You should never attack animal corpses"
The police initially advised him to take the bird to the animal carcass recycling facility, "but he cleverly didn't do that", praises Christopher Böck from the Upper Austrian Hunting Association. "You should never attack animal corpses or get too close to them. On the one hand, the animal could still be alive and snap at the person in panic. On the other hand, it could have fallen victim to a disease that can also be transmitted to humans."

This is how the poor animal was found.

(Bild: zVg)

All-clear for bird flu
A colleague of Böck's finally collected the carcass. However, it was not tested for bird flu: "The all-clear has been given for the time being. However, the disease can never be completely ruled out in waterfowl - if there is a second case, we will look into it," says Böck. The experienced hunter assumes that a collision or injury could have caused the beautiful bird to fall.

Birds don't normally just fall, it only happens to birds of prey from time to time if they have caught poison. The most likely scenario for me is that the swan collided with a power line, for example, and then flew a little further before it could fly no further.

Ornithologe Stephan Weigl, Biologiezentrum

Ornithologist Stephan Weigl from the Biology Center agrees: "Birds don't normally just crash, it only happens to birds of prey from time to time if they have caught poison. Illness is also rather unlikely, because if a bird is that terminally ill, it is more likely to hide somewhere instead of flying around." Medical emergencies such as heart attacks have not really been researched, but cannot be completely ruled out. "The most likely scenario for me is that the swan collided with a power line, for example, and then flew a little further before it couldn't go any further."