Dead swan on Athlone cycleway bridge being treated as 'a one-off'

A council official in Athlone said an incident last week in which a swan lay dead on the town's new pedestrian and cycleway bridge was being treated as a "once-off" incident.

Video footage circulated on Facebook showing the dead swan on the bridge pavement, next to the railings, on Wednesday last.

Willie Ryan, acting manager of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, told the Westmeath Independent he was aware of the incident and had himself seen the swan while out walking last week.

There was speculation on social media that the bird may have died because it couldn't see the bridge railings and flew into them.

However, Mr Ryan said this was only a presumption, and the cause of the swan's death had not been confirmed.

He said the council was treating this as an isolated incident as it had received no reports of any other birds flying into the bridge or becoming entangled in the bridge.

"Nobody really knows how this swan died. I was out for a walk, saw the swan, and it wasn't clear (how it died)," he said.

"I couldn't see any damage to the bridge, and I couldn't see where the swan had sustained the injury."

Mr Ryan said the cycleway bridge was a "very welcome" addition to the town, and that the council had taken charge of its management and maintenance since it opened last August.

He acknowledged the dead swan had been left lying on the bridge "a bit longer than I would have liked" last week, but said this was because of the need to notify the local authority's environment section and veterinary officer.

"There's a suggestion that the bridge is going to lead to other similar incidents, with birds flying into the bridge, but I simply don't know," he said.

"If there is a future occurrence, we will document it and we'll deal with it correctly."