A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history.
Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said the situation was not yet under control. "Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so it's difficult for them to be taken out," he said on Monday.
Environmental protection minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis "the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country". "The extent of the damage is still unclear," she tweeted.
Yaron Michaeli, a spokesperson for the Hula Lake park, where the crane population is mainly based, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.
Dafna Yurista, spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.
About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind, Michaeli said. This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.
Michaeli said it was believed the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms affected by outbreaks.
Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago.
Michaeli said the deaths among cranes appeared to have stabilised in recent days. "This is a good sign," he said. "They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much."
Prime minister Naftali Bennett's office said officials from the agriculture, environment and health ministries were monitoring the situation. There was no immediate information about infections among people, it said.
Naveh said the cleanup was going more slowly than expected. "We are trying to see if there's any other solutions," he said.
Do Elderberries not grow in areas where bird flu occurs, or are the people just not familiar with them. Bird flu is never a problem where Elder grows in abundance if the birds have ready access to the berries. The Sambucin they contain cripples viruses rendering them non-infective. Being unable to infect, they can't mutate either.
Supplementing the chickens' feed with the dried berries could save the millions that are otherwise exterminated.
bentpenny That's an interesting idea, thanks for sharing. I had heard that elderberries are supposed to be helpful for humans during virus season, they prevent replication or something - like you say - but i hadn't thought about it helping birds; I'll have to look into it.
Richer I'd wondered about that, too. In view of the widespread toxins we have to deal with now---and I would think ESPECIALLY in that part of the world---it's rather likely something in the water and landscape. Immediate autopsies are imperative to (hopefully) determine which, and maybe where it originated.
bentpenny Bird flu outbreaks are being reported all over the planet in the last year or so, what exactly is causing it, isn't clear (to me at least). Perhaps it's a particular strain, the conditions the animals are kept in, and perhaps there's something to do with the health of the flocks (those that are battery farmed may be more susceptible, for example)
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Supplementing the chickens' feed with the dried berries could save the millions that are otherwise exterminated.