Avian flu: wild birds need support too
In many countries, the threat of Covid has receded enough to be a bad memory. But one pandemic has not received enough attention: the one cutting through global bird populations in 37 countries. This week, Britain’s chief veterinarian took action to control the spread of avian flu by ordering all commercial poultry to be confined indoors.
Farmers have culled millions of chickens and turkeys this year. By the end of October, US retail prices for female turkeys had shot up 28 per cent year on year, according to US Department of Agriculture data.
A bigger toll is falling upon wild seabirds. The H5N1 flu strain has spread around the world via migrating species. In the UK, the current outbreak first appeared last winter and unusually persisted through the summer. The impact on wildlife is difficult to measure. But loss estimates range as high as 1mn birds. The natural crowding of seabirds on breeding cliffs only accelerates contagion.
Conservationists record hundreds of dead birds washing up on Britain’s beaches. Scientists worry about Scotland’s population of great skuas. As many as half of all adult birds may have perished, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The species is now at real risk of dying out locally.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Faqs of Insurances
