🕊️ Keeping Our Birds Safe: Avian Influenza Update
- Claire Thompson
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Putting Our Birds’ Safety First
At Brockswood, the wellbeing of our residents is always our top priority - and that includes our feathered friends.
With Avian Influenza (bird flu) currently spreading fast across the country, and now a confirmed case recently reported in Worcestershire, we’ve introduced some additional safety measures to protect our birds. You might notice a few small changes around the sanctuary, such as disinfectant foot dips near our bird habitats and our geese spending some time indoors. Don’t worry - they’re all safe, healthy, and getting lots of extra care and enrichment from our team.
What We’re Doing
To reduce risk and follow Government guidance, we’ve:
Introduced foot dips at key points for disinfecting footwear.
Temporarily housed our geese indoors, away from wild bird contact.
Stepped up our biosecurity routines to make sure every area stays clean and safe.
These are precautionary measures only - nothing is wrong with our birds. They’re simply spending more time inside to stay protected while cases in the region are monitored.
Why These Steps Matter
Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease that affects both wild and captive birds. Sadly, another wonderful sanctuary, Happy Pants, recently had to say goodbye to all of their birds after a confirmed case - a heartbreaking reminder of what’s at stake.
We can’t even imagine going through something like that here. That’s why we’re being extra careful, acting early, and taking every step possible to keep our flock safe.
What This Means for Visitors
Your visit won’t be affected at this time - our doors remain open, and most of our residents are still out and about as usual.
You may just notice:
Foot dips at certain points for our care team
Some birds, like our geese, spending more time indoors
These small precautions make a big difference. Thank you for helping us protect every feathered life in our care.
Staying Updated
We’ll continue to monitor government updates and keep you informed if anything changes.
In the meantime, your continued understanding and support mean the world to us - especially during times like this, when we’re reminded how connected all our residents are to the wider natural world.
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