2023-08-07 08:48:00
Swans, emblematic birds of our bodies of water, are becoming increasingly rare in the capital. Brussels Environment estimates that the number of mute swans (the famous majestic white swans that can be seen on ponds) has been falling since 2017. Only 34 representatives of the species were counted in Brussels in 2022 during counts carried out by the ‘body.
However, no ecological reason seems to be able to explain this decrease, especially since most species of aquatic birds are doing well in our ponds. “The disappearance of the swans is a real mystery. We don’t find any corpses, no diseases, we don’t see any moving animals… It’s quite enigmatic,” says ornithologist Alain Paquet (Natagora). Some observers note mysterious disappearances.
Mario Ninanne, ornithologist and administrator at the Royal League for the Protection of Birds, is formal: these disappearances have a human cause. People kidnap swans from Brussels ponds to eat them.
“It comes back to us from the residents of certain ponds that the disappearances are due to a disadvantaged population who would poach the swans to eat them”, he says. “In Anderlecht traps were found. We also had cases in Watermael-Boitsfort and west of Brussels. Municipalities have drawn the attention of the police to the phenomenon.”
Poachers are interested in both the animal and its eggs. “The animal, its eggs, its nest, its young…: everything is targeted. In Watermael-Boitsfort, an entire litter has disappeared. Eggs are stolen to breed or to eat. Young people are easy to catch, with a bit of experience”, he adds.
“Around the ponds located in Marius Renard, in Anderlecht, we saw people feeding swans to gradually accustom them to their presence. Animals followed them everywhere as they were fed. Then the swans disappeared”, indicates for his part Julien Lacave, police officer in the Brussels-Midi zone. “We have never caught anyone red-handed, but we know that this kind of poaching is practiced elsewhere in Belgium and in Europe. A swan is still free food,” he explains.
Since these testimonies from local residents, the police have been patrolling around the ponds. “We have reinforced the police presence around the ponds from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. We also did a lot of preventive tours which seem to have had an impact since we have not seen any more disappearances since then, but that only shifts the problem, ”says the policeman.
According to him, other animal species are concerned in Brussels. “We have been told of cases of poaching of game and hedgehogs in the Sonian Forest. For some people, these are delicacies.”
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