Animals
Hamburg swans are collected for winter quarters
Swans swim in a lock on the Alster. Hamburg’s Alster swans come to their winter quarters. photo
© Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa
The Hanseatic city’s Alster swans are now heading to their winter quarters. As every year, the first ones were collected by a special man and his team.
Get on the boat: After several months on the Outer Alster and its backwaters, the first Hamburg Alster swans are now back there brought to winter quarters. The so-called swan father Olaf Nieß and his team from the Hamburg Swan Society collected some of the animals near Jungfernstieg on Tuesday. They were watched by many onlookers. Some of the animals were comfortably bedded on straw in the boat, other swans swam next to the boats to their winter quarters at the Eppendorfer Mühlenteich.
The animals will spend the next few months under a tent in order to be better protected against a possible outbreak of bird flu. They are also looked after by the team. The remaining animals that roamed the extensive tributaries in the summer will be collected in the following days. In total, around 80 Alster swans will overwinter at the Mühlenteich.
The Alster swans are considered one of Hamburg’s landmarks. They have been cared for and cared for in the Hanseatic city for centuries. For this purpose, with the Hamburg swan system in 1674, a municipal office with the office of swan father was introduced.
Notice from the North District Office