Again discovered new cases of bird flu

Bird flu is rife again in Germany
Three dead swans on the sweet lake in Saxony-Anhalt have bird flu pathogens. Unusually, in 2016, the first birds that died of the disease appeared in November.

exclusion zone
The dead swans found themselves in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz between Eisleben and Halle an der Saale. The responsible authorities set up a restricted zone of three kilometers around the site and a larger observation zone.

New cases of bird flu discovered. (Image: animaflora / fotolia.com)

kept indoors
This means for the local people: For domestic poultry there is compulsory housing, and in the restricted area dogs and cats are not allowed to walk free. Hunting for birds must be specially approved.

Observation zone nature reserve
The salty lake is located in the observation zone. This nature and bird sanctuary has been owned by NABU since 2012.

In summer cases in Europe
The last case of bird flu in Germany was detected in May 2017. However, at the beginning of July there were cases of poultry farmers in Belgium, France and Italy. Also affected are North and West Africa, East Asia and the Middle East.

From ostriches to chickens
From an ostrich farm in the Cape Province of South Africa, the pathogen spread in chicken farms, so far died in South Africa 30,000 of the animals and 110,000 more are killed preventively.

Mute swans affected
The H5N8 virus has been detected in the wild so far only in mute swans, such as Norwich in the UK in early August and two swans in Yverdon -les-Bains in Switzerland.

Danger to bird parks?
Bird parks and zoos that keep birds outside are particularly vulnerable to wild birds transmitting the virus. Free-living waterfowl are permanent guests at the feeding sites of swans, geese and ducks, for example, in Weltvogelpark Walsrode.

Geese killed at Hagenbeck
In 2016, Hagenbeck Zoo had to kill geese in Hamburg after animals died of the disease in the zoo. The zoo in Kronsberg even closed temporarily after a dead pelican carried the H5N8 virus.

Danger to endangered bird species
An outbreak of bird flu in Weltvogelpark Walsrode would have serious consequences for international conservation. The zoo breeds diverse species as the only zoological institution in Europe, and some species are only seen here. In 2001, for example, managed the rearing of five young Zwergschwänen, a species that is considered to be difficult to breed.

Extremely rare species
Species almost extinct in the wild such as the snow crane, the helhokko, the hornbill, the mane and blue-eyed bibis from Madagascar or the Mindanao hornbill find a refuge in the Weltvogelart.

Rare ducks
The ducks, geese and swans particularly endangered by bird flu are rarities such as the plush duck, or the native duck, which is reintroduced into Germany with animals from the bird park.

Threat to the World Bird Park?
Until mid-October, many species are still in the outdoor enclosure in the Weltvogelpark, where they could become infected by wild birds. Theoretically, it would also be possible to have an infection by visitors carrying pathogens on clothing.

No acute danger
There is currently no acute danger to birds in the World Bird Park and other zoological facilities. Unlike the winter of 2016, no infections of zoo animals are known, and no other cases in Germany except the swans in Saxony-Anhalt. For humans, the current bird flu, the H5N8 pathogen is not known to be infectious. (Dr. Utz Anhalt, Somayeh Khaleseh Ranjbar)