Avian flu is killing thousands of UK birds
An outbreak of avian flu could have a potentially devastating impact on Britain’s wild birds, especially globally important seabird populations
Adeadly strain of avian flu is ripping through seabird colonies around the Scottish coast, leaving thousands of dead and dying birds in its trail. “We are in completely unchartered territory and the impact that this form of avian influenza is having on wild birds is completely unprecedented,” says the RSPB’s Paul Walton.
In response to the deepening crisis, Defra has launched a research consortium to understand the impact of this new strain of avian flu on wild birds and poultry.
“The research will investigate how avian flu viruses are emerging, despite wild bird populations having prior exposure to genetically similar viruses,” says a spokesperson for Defra. “Scientists will also look at wild bird movements and… [take] samples from different wild bird species to build up a better picture of the risk that different species provide.”
Great skuas are among the worst hit species, with over 1,000 birds dying across Shetland and the Orkneys. Just under 10,000 great skuas breed in the UK, representing 60 per cent of the global population.
There are also increasing concerns about the impact on northern gannets, with Scotland home to 20 per cent of its global population. Large numbers of dead gannets have been reported on their nests and at the base of sea cliffs where they breed. The disease has recently been confirmed on the Bass Rock too, which is home to 150,000 gannets.
People are being advised not to touch sick or dead birds but report them to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77.
Walton believes this outbreak of avian flu needs to act as an urgent wake-up call to start taking seabird conservation seriously.
“Since 1986, 11 key seabird species have decreased by 49 per cent,” he says. “We need to build seabird resilience to human pressures by closing industrial sand-eel fishing around the UK coast and reducing seabird by-catch deaths in fishing gear.”