Scottish Daily Mail

Avian f lu kills 160 birds at sanctuary

- By Joe Hutchison

‘More than a hundred infected premises’

DOZENS of wild birds have died in an avian flu outbreak at a Highlands nature reserve.

Ornitholog­ist Peter Stronach, 44, found the bodies of more than 160 individual birds while studying an area close to the Loch Fleet national nature reserve near Sutherland.

The toll of 17 different species included pink-footed geese, shelducks, carrion crows and cormorants.

Mr Stronach said: ‘It’s avian flu for sure. The eiders I had seen still alive were flying around in circles and being dizzy, which are symptoms that have been seen in other species.’

He added: ‘There is obviously the risk with the carcasses lying on the foreshore that it could spread to other species such as gulls and raptors. We have noticed suspicious raptor deaths in the area, but haven’t been able to get them tested.’

Last night, the UK’s chief vet Dr Christine Middlemiss said around half of the affected birds had tested positive for avian flu.

She added: ‘However, that’s only a proportion of the birds. Some of the birds are negative, which would suggest this die-off is not one single cause but could be for a number of causes.

‘We don’t test every bird. What we’re doing is testing for surveillan­ce purposes to inform decision-making about risk.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Winter 2021-22 has seen the largest outbreak of avian flu in the UK to date, with over 100 infected premises confirmed in both backyard and commercial flocks.

‘We have taken swift action to contain and eliminate this disease, and all bird keepers – whether they have just a few birds or thousands – must continue do their bit to maintain strict biosecurit­y measures on their premises.’

Keepers who are concerned about the health of their flock are urged to consult a vet.

Government advice is that the risk to public health from the virus is very low, and it does not affect the consumptio­n of poultry products.

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