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Source: https://www.jagderleben.de/news/voge...e-zuvor-712625
H5N8 bird flu - worse than ever
Sascha Bahlinger
Saturday, April 17th, 2021 - 6:47 am
Thousands of wild birds and farm poultry have been dying from the disease since autumn. It is the largest bird flu event in Germany to date.
The bird flu does not let go of Germany. Time and again, new cases and clusters of dead birds are discovered. Currently, the Rheiderland in Lower Saxony in particular seems to be extremely affected. Several hundred dead birds were found there, according to the district of Leer.
Hero Schulte, a farmer and hunter in the Leer district, has also discovered a number of dead geese in his fields. This is particularly problematic because the dead animals are not easy to find under the currently rapidly growing grass. If they were then overlooked during the harvest, the cattle could die from the botulinum toxin that is produced during the decomposition, Schulte explains to the editorial team.
But avian influenza cases are not only increasing in Lower Saxony. Almost all federal states are more or less severely affected. Over 16,000 dead geese, ducks and swans, for example, have washed up in the Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig Holstein since autumn 2020, explains Elke Reinking, press spokeswoman for the Friedrich L?ffler Institute (FLI) to the editors. It is the largest bird flu incident that has been observed in Germany. The animal disease not only affects wild birds, but also affects poultry farms massively. Between October 2020 and March 2021, more than a million animals were culled on the farms.
As Reinking reports, the virus is mainly affected by the currently rather cold, wet weather in spring. Not only would the viruses survive better than with strong UV radiation, but the birds also move closer together in the cold. So far, various species of geese, but also swans, knots and birds of prey have been identified among the victims. In November, however, a number of wigeons were discovered among the dead animals. In the case of larger finds of dead birds, as is currently the case in the Leer district, one must currently assume an infestation with bird flu. According to the FLI spokeswoman, other causes such as poisoning cannot be ruled out as long as there are no laboratory results.
H5N8 bird flu - worse than ever
Sascha Bahlinger
Saturday, April 17th, 2021 - 6:47 am
Thousands of wild birds and farm poultry have been dying from the disease since autumn. It is the largest bird flu event in Germany to date.
The bird flu does not let go of Germany. Time and again, new cases and clusters of dead birds are discovered. Currently, the Rheiderland in Lower Saxony in particular seems to be extremely affected. Several hundred dead birds were found there, according to the district of Leer.
Hero Schulte, a farmer and hunter in the Leer district, has also discovered a number of dead geese in his fields. This is particularly problematic because the dead animals are not easy to find under the currently rapidly growing grass. If they were then overlooked during the harvest, the cattle could die from the botulinum toxin that is produced during the decomposition, Schulte explains to the editorial team.
But avian influenza cases are not only increasing in Lower Saxony. Almost all federal states are more or less severely affected. Over 16,000 dead geese, ducks and swans, for example, have washed up in the Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig Holstein since autumn 2020, explains Elke Reinking, press spokeswoman for the Friedrich L?ffler Institute (FLI) to the editors. It is the largest bird flu incident that has been observed in Germany. The animal disease not only affects wild birds, but also affects poultry farms massively. Between October 2020 and March 2021, more than a million animals were culled on the farms.
As Reinking reports, the virus is mainly affected by the currently rather cold, wet weather in spring. Not only would the viruses survive better than with strong UV radiation, but the birds also move closer together in the cold. So far, various species of geese, but also swans, knots and birds of prey have been identified among the victims. In November, however, a number of wigeons were discovered among the dead animals. In the case of larger finds of dead birds, as is currently the case in the Leer district, one must currently assume an infestation with bird flu. According to the FLI spokeswoman, other causes such as poisoning cannot be ruled out as long as there are no laboratory results.
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