PHOTO BY PJ GARCIA-MARSHALL
12/29 UPDATE: Commissioner Patty Sheehan posted the following statement on her Facebook page.
“To my local friends, animal lovers, and those with greater connections or influence within the city of Orlando, I’m sharing this post with a heavy heart and even more sincere request for your help. Over the past week, 13 swans at Lake Eola have become seriously ill and have died. Many of us who care deeply about these animals are extremely concerned that proper preventative measures, monitoring, and public transparency are not being taken during what appears to be a bird flu outbreak.”
– PJ GARCIA-MARSHALL
A local swan advocate who volunteers with the City of Orlando, caring for the swan population at Lake Eola Park, has publicly criticized the city following a recent string of swan deaths, raising concerns about transparency and preventative measures.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the volunteer, PJ Garcia-Marshall (who was recently profiled by The Community Paper with her husband for the work they do with local swan populations), said 13 swans at Lake Eola had become seriously ill and died over the past week, describing what they believed could be consistent with a bird flu outbreak. The post argues that residents and visitors have not been adequately informed, despite the park drawing large crowds daily for the holiday light display. Garcia-Marshall also raised concerns about potential risk to household pets, describing the situation as “highly contagious” and calling it “irresponsible” for the city not to disclose more information. That has yet to be confirmed though not entirely unlikely, as a number of swans died in early 2024 due to bird flu.
A City of Orlando spokesperson told Orlando Shine late Sunday, “We have been sadly made aware that several swans have been located deceased at Lake Eola. These birds have been sent to a lab for necropsies, which will provide us with a cause of death. At this time, we don’t believe the nature of the deaths is suspicious.”
The city did not provide a timeline for when necropsy results are expected or whether any interim public guidance will be issued for park visitors or pet owners.
Garcia-Marshall also cited ongoing issues such as trash in the lake and dirty bird feeders as contributing factors that could worsen health conditions for the remaining swans. Lake Eola is a receptacle for the majority of Downtown Orlando’s rainwater, and as such, anything that is tossed away in the surrounding streets will inevitably make its way downhill and into the lake. It is regularly cleaned by Parks staff and the Downtown Clean Team.
The City of Orlando maintains a long-running swan program at Lake Eola Park, where the birds are considered both a signature attraction and a city-managed animal population. The swans at Lake Eola are owned by the city, with care handled through city operations.
