The Swans versus the Food Bank?

[PassingStranger]

A well known supermarket used to donate their leftover bread in our area for the volunteers to feed the swans with.
We have a team of volunteers who look after the swans.

They stopped donating the bread and said it had to go to the foodbank.

What do you think?

People are always more important than animals. I’m always horrified that people think so little of their fellow humans. It’s grim.

I mean, yes, it’s better than starving but no, it definitely is NOT good for them. Too much bread and they’ll develop angel wing deformity (have attached a photo - it may take a few minutes for approval) and be unable to fly. I saw it happen at a tourist spot where obviously the swans were fed a lot of bread. Better to feed them nuts, seeds, or apparently, lettuce (I didn’t know about the lettuce so maybe others don’t either). Perhaps they could feed their leftover or imperfect lettuce to the swans, as many food banks can’t take fresh veg anyway. Bread for people; leftover lettuce for swans.

Nonsense. Swans are not threatened in any way. They are increasing in numbers. They do not need to be artificially fed by us, particularly not with a low-nutrient, polluting substance like bread. You may be part of a group that feeds swans, but I'm sorry, you are not helping them . The supermarket is absolutely right to prioritize people.

Swans don’t need feeding by humans. They definitely don’t need large scale supermarket donations. They’re wild animals, they’re not particularly endangered and they can forage for themselves. Are you this concerned about the plight of other, actually endangered, wildlife or just the glamorous ones that you can have fun feeding?

Don't they all belong to the crown? Maybe Charles could ensure some of his millions goes towards regular healthy food for the swans... Or, the humans.

The river in my town is full of rats, largely caused by people feeding ducks and swans large quantities of food which they don't eat

Im not part of the group. They do need people looking out for them.
They help them in all sorts of ways not just feeding.

Of course they need feeding by humans. They also need help by humans if they get trapped or injured.

Not in winter they cant. I prefer to believe people who work with them than you . Also this.

human feeding, especially in winter or harsh conditions, becomes a vital lifeline, supplementing scarce natural food and preventing starvation,

Why do you think they need feeding crap food by humans? They’re perfectly capable of feeding themselves nutritiously. Caring for injured ones yes, but they don’t need feeding.

I suspect any charity involved with swans knows you don’t feed them bread though….

There natural food is aquatic vegetation. They are wild animals, they should not be getting their main nutrition from bits of bread thrown to them by humans. If the place where they are living does not have enough natural food they should be moving to somewhere more suitable. Humans throwing bread are probably encouraging them to stay in an unsuitable place on a poor diet.

But apart from all that, I can't believe you think it better to give human food to swans rather than, you know, humans.

It is. You should ideally feed them vegetables, grains or specialised food.

I should think the only time swans need supplementary feeding is if the river is frozen. What do you think they do if they live outside towns without people feeding them?

Out of date/short dated supplies from a supermarket.

This.

Swans don’t only survive if humans feed them bread!

Countryside’s well known for having piles of dead swans floating down the rivers in winter!

Yeah, but that’s confirmed bird flu, not starvation. 😬
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyxd9wrlxjo.amp

Surely artificially feeding a population causes problems. When the population grows because of well fed adults being able to reproduce more successfully then they'll starve if they outgrow naturally available levels of food. If the artificial supply stops suddenly it'll be chaos and starvation .this could result in larger numbers of hungry creatures.

Maybe all the volunteers could let their families go without bread and give it to the swans instead?

I really thought this was going to be a thread about People eating swans rather than using food banks. Am a bit disappointed

Ok. This is from my local swan rescue group. A registered charity in Ireland that has been working with swans (and other birds and animals) for over 20 years:

We strongly advise against feeding bread to swans and other waterfowl, as it offers no real nutrition, fills them up, causes bloating/digestive issues, can lead to Angel Wing deformity, and promotes dependence. Instead, offer healthy alternatives like lettuce, peas, sweetcorn, or commercial bird feed, and remember swans find their own food in the wild

These are the people that work with them. While your friends might be working with the greatest of intentions, they are wrong and are harming the birds they are trying to help.

RSPB volunteer at Fairhaven Lake, Fylde, told us not to feed water birds with bread.

Either way, I’d feed people over swans, which are quite capable of feeding themselves naturally.

That is just not true. I believe the Keeper of the Queen's Swans.

Statement from the Queen's Swan Marker regarding bread and Angel Wing

The Swan Sanctuary Official Statement On Bread from the Queen's Swan Marker - The Swan Sanctuary
'As many of you know there has been a lot of debate about feeding swans and other waterfowl bread. We have always maintained that feeding them bread is fine, Today we received a this statement from The Queen’s Swan Marker, David Barber, MVO, endorsed by Professor Christopher Perrins of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at Oxford University.
“There has been a great deal of press coverage in recent months regarding the ‘Ban the Bread’ campaign which is confusing many members of the public who like to feed swans. Supporters of the campaign claim that bread should not be fed to swans on the grounds that it is bad for them. This is not correct. Swans have been fed bread for many hundreds of years without causing any ill effects. While bread may not be the best dietary option for swans compared to their natural food such as river weed, it has become a very important source of energy for them, supplementing their natural diet and helping them to survive the cold winter months when vegetation is very scarce.
There is no good reason not to feed bread to swans, provided it is not mouldy. Most households have surplus bread and children have always enjoyed feeding swans with their parents. The ‘Ban the Bread’ campaign is already having a deleterious impact upon the swan population; I am receiving reports of underweight cygnets and adult birds, and a number of swans from large flocks have begun to wander into roads in search of food. This poses the further risk of swans being hit by vehicles. Malnutrition also increases their vulnerability to fatal diseases like avian-flu which has caused the deaths of many mute swans and other waterfowl in the past.
Furthermore, there have been statements made in the media claiming that feeding bread causes angel-wing in swans. Angel-wing is a condition where a cygnet develops a deformed wing. Professor Christopher Perrins, LVO, FRS of the Department of Zoology at Oxford University stated, ‘There is no evidence of a connection between feeding bread and angel-wing; at least some cygnets develop this condition without ever having seen any bread’.
I therefore encourage members of the public to continue feeding swans to help improve their chances of survival, especially through the winter.”
We’d like to Thank every one for their support and we hope that this will help these beautiful birds.'

I know!