It’s been nearly a month since any swans have died at Lake Eola Park amid a bout with avian flu, signaling that perhaps the deadly outbreak among Orlando’s iconic swan population has run its course.
Officials are remaining cautious this week, as they were advised to wait a full month since the last death, which would be Saturday, before potentially signaling the all-clear, a spokesperson said.
“The last swan death, a wild swan at Lake Eola, was on January 21. Therefore, we want to ensure that an entire month has passed, per the recommendations,” said Ashley Papagni, a city spokesperson. “We continue to ask the public to follow the guidelines placed on the alert signs throughout the park.”
The virus was first detected at the park just before Christmas, and over about a month, killed 29 Royal Mute swans, 25 of which were owned by the city. Now the flock includes 44 swans, Papagni said, down from as many as 80 in recent years at the lake
Experts have said the virus was spread to the park by migratory birds, and it has since been detected at Lake Davis, Lake Cherokee, and elsewhere in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia and Brevard, according to a database.
Lake Eola’s beloved population, established in 1922, contains five of the world’s six species of swans. It it not clear why the latest avian flu virus appears to target only mute swans, although the same has been seen with recent outbreaks elsewhere in the world. The last outbreak at Lake Eola, in 2024, killed multiple species but just four swans total, plus 11 other birds.
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A flock of pigeons fly over the swans at Lake Eola Park, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. With no new swan deaths reported at the lake in several weeks, city officials and swan advocates are optimistic that the avian flu outbreak that killed 29 of the birds may be over. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
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A flock of pigeons fly over the swans at Lake Eola Park, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. With no new swan deaths reported at the lake in several weeks, city officials and swan advocates are optimistic that the avian flu outbreak that killed 29 of the birds may be over. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
With the latest die-off at Lake Eola seemingly subsiding, a promised “comprehensive review” of the swan program is underway. Rodney Williams, newly appointed as the city’s Families, Parks and Recreation Director, met last week with some of the advocates who have been petitioning for better care of the famed birds, including improved cleanliness.
Andrew Marshall has led the swan docent volunteer program for years and sounded an alarm with his concerns as the virus spread among the flock in December and January. Marshall said he was happy with the one-hour meeting, but was still concerned that there was little evidence of improvement as the birds begin their mating and nesting season.
On Monday, Marshall went to the park and shared photos with a reporter of bottles, wrappers and other litter throughout the shoreline and in shallow areas where the birds gather and preen.
“It’s concerning that some of these things that should be easy to solve are not being solved,” he said. “We continue to have people send photos and videos of trash on the lake … it remains a significant concern.”
In an email to County Commissioner Mayra Uribe’s office, a city official informed her that the review is underway.
“This is a necessary next step to ensure the highest standards of care for the city’s beloved swans and identify opportunities to strengthen best practices,” it reads. “As part of the review, we are evaluating the feeding process, care plan, swan access to the water, and other aspects of the program as well as assessing the evolving needs of the swans.”
Papagni said the city is also consulting with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Marshall and others have called for the city to have a staff avian expert oversee the care of the flock, as well as the creation of an advisory board of staff members whose jobs involve care of Lake Eola Park, and citizen volunteers.
They also called for better cleaning of feeders and spreading them out around the park, along with more areas for baby birds to get out of the water, where a high seawall keeps cygnets from reaching the shore.
