A net placed over the roof of the main fire station in Torrevieja has been removed after dozens of swifts became trapped and died. The mesh had been installed to prevent the birds nesting inside the hangars, where they return each spring. Provincial emergencies deputy and Benijófar mayor Luis Rodríguez ordered its withdrawal after images of the dead birds sparked outrage.

The Guardia Civil’s nature protection service, Seprona, visited the site and has compiled a report on the nests and other measures used to block access, including sealing gaps with polyurethane foam. Rodríguez said new reports would be assessed, but the immediate step was to remove the net. He added that hygiene concerns caused by droppings would be addressed with alternative solutions outside the nesting season, which runs from May to August.

Under Spain’s Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, all wild birds and their nests are protected. EU Directive 2009/147/EC also obliges member states to safeguard wild bird populations. The Spanish Criminal Code classifies the intentional destruction of protected nests as an environmental offence.

Swifts migrate from sub-Saharan Africa and arrive in the Iberian Peninsula between late April and early May. According to SEO/BirdLife, a single swift can eat between 8,000 and 10,000 insects a day, making the species an important natural controller of mosquito populations.