For the first time, farmers from the Slovak city of Komarno noticed the strange behavior of swans in their fields in February. Initially, they assumed that the birds attract the formation of water puddle in the area. However, the birds continued to return. Later, farmers realized that swans peck poppy flowers containing opium. The damage caused by birds is estimated at about € 10 thousand, as the farmer Balints Pam.
According to experts, birds may mistakenly accept poppy flowers for their favorite food - rapeseed. This error has led to the formation of addiction and health problems. As a result, the birds lost their ability to take off and stay on the ground, which made them an easy goal for predators. Due to the fact that swans in Slovakia are under the protection of the law, farmers are forbidden to hunt these birds or even drive them out of their own territory.
Yans Kalavskis, a representative of the Slovak State Service of Nature Conservation, emphasized that the farmer should submit a special appeal to the authorities. Volunteers have now assumed the task of helping birds. They personally tolerate swans and try to get them away from eating poppy seeds. Birds that were in good condition were released in the irrigation channel, which is 15 kilometers from the poppy field. Others were sent for rehab.
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