Above the island of Hornøya in northern Norway, which is popular with Finnish birders, there is a risk of bird death. Norwegian scientists fear avian flu is spreading to the island.
Avian influenza is penetrating the Arctic. An avian influenza virus was found in the isolas found dead in the harbor of Longyearbyen during the Midsummer.
Mass deaths caused by bird flu have now been found in seabirds in northern Norway more than ever before, says NINAN researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in an e-mail Tone Kristin Reiertsen.
Influenza can drastically reduce bird populations. In the winter, a mass death riveted white-fronted geese that were wintering in Scotland and nesting in the Svalbard.
– The number of white-fronted geese in the high mountains has now been reported to have decreased by a third, says Reiertsen.
According to the researcher, a large number of mouths also died in Scotland last winter.
– Such a large-scale outbreak and high mortality in wild seabirds in the north has never been observed before.
According to Reiertsen, the widespread outbreak of avian influenza in wild birds now observed is exceptional. Mass infections have previously been reported in poultry.
Mass deaths for the first time in northern birds
According to the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NINA, as many as 100,000 seabirds live on the bird island of Vardøn Hornøya. Scientists are worried about the fate of the highly endangered southern lizard nesting on the island. The disease can spread quickly and reduce the incidence of ticks.
NINA researchers have found sick and dead seagulls on the island. The cause is suspected to be bird flu. Samples taken from the birds are being examined and a result will be available shortly.
The cases of Hornøya have not been confirmed. The risk of spreading to the island is high, as only a few kilometers away in the archipelago town of Vardø, according to NINE researcher Tone Kristin Reiertsen, infections have been confirmed with gray gulls, crows and sea eagles.
According to Reiertsen, the widespread outbreak of avian influenza in wild birds now observed is not common but exceptional. Mass infections have previously been reported in domestic birds.
According to Vardø’s warning, occasional infections have been reported across the county. People are advised not to touch the dead birds and report the findings to the authorities
What thoughts did the story provoke? You can participate in the discussion with ID 25.6. until 11 p.m.