Swannery cancels Halloween amid bird flu fears

Abbotsbury is home to a colony of 800 mute swans

A visitor attraction that cares for hundreds of swans has closed for winter a week earlier than planned and cancelled its half term Halloween events amid fears of a bird flu outbreak.

Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset had been due to welcome visitors to its Ghostly Games trail from Saturday 25 October to Sunday 2 November.

A post on its website said: "Due to suspected avian influenza (bird flu) on the reserve, as a precautionary measure, and in line with other nature reserves, we have made the difficult decision to close the swannery a week early."

Online ticketholders will be automatically refunded.

In a Facebook post on Friday said: "Sadly, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Halloween half term event is cancelled.

"The swannery will be closing a week early, as from today, and will reopen on 14th March for the 2026 season."

Abbotsbury Swannery is home to 800 mute swans and is believed to be the only managed colony in the world.

During a national bird flu outbreak in January 2017, nine dead swans tested positive for the H5N8 strain of the disease.

About 80 of the attraction's birds died during that winter when it would normally expect up to 40. The cause of most of their deaths was not known.