Abbotsbury Swannery Closes Early Due to Suspected Bird Flu Outbreak

Strategic Insights -

Abbotsbury Swannery, a popular tourist attraction in Dorset, England, has closed its doors a week ahead of schedule due to a suspected avian influenza outbreak. The decision was made to protect visitors and staff, despite there being no confirmed cases of bird flu on the reserve. The swannery is set to reopen on March 14, 2026, but its Halloween half-term activities have been cancelled. This is not the first time the area has seen a bird flu outbreak, with a prevention zone previously being put in place around Weymouth and Portland after wild birds tested positive for the H5N6 strain of avian flu.

Key Takeaways:

  • Abbotsbury Swannery closed its doors a week ahead of schedule due to a suspected avian influenza outbreak on the reserve.
  • The swannery is set to reopen on March 14, 2026, but its Halloween half-term activities have been cancelled.
  • There is currently no protection zone or surveillance zone put in place for the area, and no cases of bird flu have been confirmed by DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
  • The Martin Mere Wetland Centre in Lancashire also closed due to a suspected outbreak of the disease.
  • Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry premises in Yorkshire and Cumbria on October 25, with a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone surrounding the premises.
  • All poultry on the premises is due to be humanely culled.
  • Between 2024 to 2025, there were 81 cases of highly pathogenic bird flu throughout the UK, with eight cases reported so far from October 2025 to September 2026.

Statistics:

  • 81 cases of highly pathogenic bird flu reported in the UK between 2024 and 2025.
  • 8 cases reported so far from October 2025 to September 2026.
  • A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone surrounding the commercial poultry premises in Yorkshire and Cumbria.
  • H5N6 strain of avian flu previously identified in wild birds in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset.

Sources:

  • A spokesperson for Abbotsbury Swannery
  • DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency
  • Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Burscough, Lancashire