{"id":143048,"date":"2026-02-04T06:58:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T06:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/143048\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T06:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T06:58:19","slug":"internal-emails-reveal-orlandos-behind-the-scenes-handling-of-lake-eola-swan-flu-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/143048\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal emails reveal Orlando\u2019s behind\u2011the\u2011scenes handling of Lake Eola swan flu outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Internal emails obtained exclusively by News 6 show how the city of Orlando worked behind the scenes to respond to the recent deaths of dozens of swans<\/a> at Lake Eola, including how to handle public messaging amid growing concern and what staff described as misinformation online.<\/p>\n

The emails, released after a public records request, come weeks after an avian flu outbreak<\/a> killed 37 birds at the downtown park, sparking outrage, sadness and questions from residents and visitors alike.<\/p>\n

[VIDEO: Avian flu confirmed in 26 swan deaths at Lake Eola Park, Orlando officials say]<\/p>\n

\u201cIt breaks my heart. They\u2019re just such special creatures,\u201d said Sarah Charters, who was visiting Lake Eola with Dakota Bazant. \u201cIf you think about traveling to Orlando and Lake Eola, you always think about the swans, the swan boats and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others acknowledged the emotional toll while recognizing the natural element involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really sad,\u201d said Alexa Shera, a visitor to the park. \u201cBut, I mean, it is Mother Nature, so it\u2019s something that kind of can\u2019t really be helped at times.\u201d<\/p>\n

[VIDEO: Orlando says no new bird flu cases among Lake Eola swans, but volunteers still want changes]<\/p>\n

The internal emails show city officials grappling with public frustration and a wave of suggestions from residents. Some proposed placing wire cages around sick swans to protect them. Others pointed to a swan sanctuary in the United Kingdom that has had success aiding birds during avian flu outbreaks \u2014 an idea discussed in emails but not pursued as a relocation plan.<\/p>\n

City staff also outlined standard operating procedures related to avian influenza, including monitoring, signage and coordination with wildlife experts. Several messages show concern about misinformation spreading online and include internal discussion questioning how effectively some public-facing efforts were educating the community about the outbreak.<\/p>\n

[VIDEO: \u2018Try to minimize the spread:: Nearly 30% of Lake Eola swans dead from bird flu]<\/p>\n

According to the city, Lake Eola\u2019s swan population began with 69 birds before the avian flu outbreak. Since then, 37 birds have died, including 29 mute swans \u2014 four of which were fly-ins \u2014 and eight wild birds.<\/p>\n

While the lake may still appear full of swans, city officials say the losses were significant.<\/p>\n

The city says avian flu typically takes about a month to dissipate. Warning signs posted around Lake Eola are expected to remain in place throughout that period.<\/p>\n

There is no vaccine available for the swans. City officials say birds that survive this wave of avian flu are expected to develop immunity in the future.<\/p>\n

To read the emails, see below:<\/p>\n

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Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Internal emails obtained exclusively by News 6 show how the city of Orlando worked behind…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[52230,571,1335,139,141,140,52008,52016],"class_list":["post-143048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-bird-flu","tag-health","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-swan","tag-swans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}