If you were on Twitter over the weekend, you’re aware messages of support were pouring in for Emmanuel Todd Lopez, the usually plucky Emu. A popular presence on TikTok, Emmanuel was reportedly struck by the avian flu shortly after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf coast. According to his caretaker, 50 birds at the farm […]
Tag: avian flu
Birdwatch: colonies hit by avian flu on Farne Islands sound warning
Britain’s seabird colonies are, in the words of the veteran conservationist Roy Dennis, “our Serengeti”. Few other places on the planet make such an assault on the senses: the sight, sound and smell of tens of thousands of birds, gathered together each summer to breed. Of all our seabird sites, none is more special than […]
Calls to ban gamebird release to avoid ‘catastrophic’ avian flu outbreak
Conservationists have called for ministers to ban the release of millions of gamebirds to prevent the UK’s wild birds being wiped out by a “catastrophic” avian flu epidemic this winter. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said there was a significant risk that pheasants, partridge and ducks released for shooting from 1 […]
The highly infectious avian flu is killing raptors, ducks, geese, seabirds and even foxes
Peter Stronach, an ecologist and wildlife photographer, couldn’t believe what he was witnessing as he went along the coastline of a Highland lake on a beautiful May evening. Male eider ducks, numerous species of gulls, a gannet, a puffin, and no fewer than 26 pink-footed geese, all of which should have been on their way […]
Hundreds of malnourished Cape fur seals wash up dead on South Africa’s shores
Seal mortalities are not uncommon at this time of the year, but the rapid increase in numbers has alarmed the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Marine scientists are trying to find out why hundreds of malnourished and dead Cape fur seals have washed up on to the West Coast of South Africa. The […]
Bird flu fears grow after spate of mysterious UK swan deaths
A spate of baffling swan deaths is strongly suspected to be caused by a virulent new strain of avian flu sweeping across Britain. Dying swans were found spinning in circles and discharging blood from their nostrils on Ulverston canal, Cumbria. Swan rescuers have taken in more than 25 dying birds in Worcestershire and nine swans […]
Which Way Will This Bird Flu Fly?
Are you neurotic about all things zoonotic? Perhaps you should be. A new strain of bird flu, H7N9, has recently emerged and has killed more than 30 people in China to date. There are concerns that this flu may mutate into a form that can be transmitted through human-to-human contact, risking its transformation into a […]