Thousands of cranes killed by bird flu in Israel’s worst wildlife disaster
- Farmers have also had to cull hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain the situation
- Workers are rushing to bird carcasses as quickly as possible to protect other wildlife from being infected
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 is 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, spokesman for the Hula Lake park, where the crane population is centred, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.
Dafna Yurista, spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.