Suspected deadly bacteria outbreak investigated

A city council has said it is investigating a suspected botulism outbreak in a man-made park lake.

Local people have reported seeing birds and other wildlife dead or unwell in St George Park in Bristol, and have been urging the local council to take action.

Volunteers from Bath Swan Rescue have been trying to care for some of the affected animals and confirmed that two of the birds it picked up did have botulism, a poison created by bacteria which thrives in shallow stagnant water in warm weather.

A city council spokesperson said it was "aware of reports concerning suspected botulism in the lake at St George Park and are actively investigating them".

It also reminded the public not to handle sick or injured wildlife and to keep dogs and children away from the water.

Locals say they believe the outbreak came from a broken aerator in the lake.

Ceri Dunning, a volunteer with Bath Swan Rescue, lives near the park and has been working to save some of the sick birds and remove dead ones.

"Some of them have been in a really bad state and covered in maggots, some have been floating on the side of the water, obviously as a result of the botulism," she said.

"We've had one baby swan with botulism," she added. "A young duck had botulism as well but unfortunately it didn't make it.

"We're keeping an eye on any of the ducks and swans in case anything catches them."

Dunning says the volunteers have recovered "about five" birds with confirmed botulism so far, one of which survived.

The bacteria that causes botulism thrives in decaying matter in oxygen-deprived warm environments, such as in shallow stagnant water.

As well as having a broken aerator, the water level in the lake in St George Park is currently low, partly due to the long periods of hot and dry weather.

Ducks and swans can catch botulism by eating food that contains the bacteria.

It does not usually spread from animal to animal or from animal to human but it can spread to birds like gulls and crows who might consume dead animals.

Infected birds effectively become paralysed by the disease, making them easy prey to animals like foxes, who can then contract the disease through eating them.

"As you see children and dogs playing in the water you would think that they [the council] might be a little bit worried that it could pass on to humans at some point and then you could have potentially serious cases," said Dunning.

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