Kazakhstan: Bird flu caused mass death of mute swans in Mangistau region

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Source: https://www.inform.kz/en/bird-flu-ca...egion_a4016465

Bird flu caused mass death of mute swans in Mangistau region
24 December 2022, 12:42

AKTAU. KAZINFORM Bird flu caused mass death of swans on the Lake Karakol in Mangistau region. The pathological material samples sent to the National Reference Center for Veterinary proved it was bird flu, Kazinform learned from the Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Control Committee.

Lake Karakol acts as one of the resting and refueling zones for migrating mute swans, which inhabit almost all the territory of Kazakhstan.

According to local authorities, as many as 10,000 swans choose Lake Karakol for waiting out winter....

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Source: https://orda.kz/iz-600-pogibshih-v-a...-osobi-381100/

Of the 600 swans that died in Aktau, 90% were young individuals
07 January 2024 16:30
Alina Yesenalina


In Aktau, the number of mute swans killed on Lake Karakol has already exceeded 600 individuals, Orda.kz reports.

The problem of mass death of swans was discussed at a meeting in the akimat of the Mangystau region.

“To study the reasons for the mass mortality of birds on Lake Karakol, ornithologists from the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan will be sent to Aktau,” the akimat said.


According to the head of the Mangistau Regional Territorial Inspectorate of Forestry and Wildlife, Gabbas Dosatov, the first notification of the death of swans on Lake Karakol was received on December 21, 2023.

“We contacted specialists from the National Veterinary Reference Center and experts from the Institute of Microbiology and Virology. They sent specialists to take samples of swans' carcasses for the purpose of conducting an examination. At the moment, we have recorded the death of 601 individuals. More than 90% of the dead swans were young. We are expecting ornithologists from the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan to conduct additional research,” Dosatov said.

As the akimat recalled, judging by the initial analyses, the swans could have died as a result of infection with bird flu.

“Preliminary data suggests that the mass death of swans on Lake Karakol was caused by an outbreak of avian influenza, also known as avian influenza. An Asian strain of H5N1 has been discovered. This virus is less contagious for people, affecting birds more, while other animals carry it without symptoms,” said Temirbek Nurtazin, head of the Mangistau regional territorial inspection of the Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee.

As he added, last year 6 thousand poultry were vaccinated in the threatened zone. And three poultry farms refused vaccinations, citing the fact that they have a closed type of housing.

According to Nurtazin, regional veterinarians daily monitor the epizootic situation among poultry on private farms.

Akim of the Mangystau region Nurlan Nogaev said that the situation with the death of birds raises questions about the causes of this mass morbidity.

“Ecologists and competent specialists must together find the source of the problem and take measures to prevent the possible spread of the phenomenon,” instructed Nurlan Nogaev.

Lake Karakol is included in the list of protected ornithological sites in Kazakhstan and is a wintering and resting place for tens of thousands of birds. Over the course of a year, Lake Karakol is visited by more than 80 species of migratory birds, including swans and golden eagles. This wetland is home to up to 175 species of waterfowl and semi-aquatic birds in different seasons of the year, including 21 species of birds listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.

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Translation Google

Kazakhstan: nearly 700 swans dead in a nature reserve

This content was published on January 9, 2024 - 10:38 p.m.
January 9, 2024 - 10:38 p.m.

Nearly 700 dead swans were discovered in a nature reserve in Kazakhstan housing rare and endangered species, the authorities of this huge Central Asian country announced on Tuesday.

"In total, from December 21 to January 8, 675 corpses of swans were discovered on Lake Karakol," located in a nature reserve near the Caspian Sea (west), the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology told AFP on Tuesday.

According to the same source, the birds died of avian flu and specialists were sent to the site, while dozens of dead swans are found daily.

In the past, environmental activists have repeatedly expressed concern about environmental problems in this area of western Kazakhstan, including air and water pollution, as well as desertification.

At the end of 2022, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev even specifically called for the preservation of this artificial lake of Karakol, formed during the Soviet era with water discharged from a former nuclear power plant and now transformed into a zoological reserve where many protected species live. .

'It is important to preserve this unique reservoir. One of the most urgent problems in the region is desertification,' he said, as the level of the Caspian Sea, the largest closed sea in the world, is decreasing from year to year.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/kazakhstan--pr%C3%A8s-de-700-cygnes-morts-dans-une-r%C3%A9serve-naturelle/49113480

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Translation Google

The Department of Ecology has appointed an unscheduled inspection of Rixos Water World Aktau in connection with the fact of dumping wastewater into Karakol Lake.

January 11, 2024 - 11:07

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As a result of the analysis of specialists of the Department of Ecology, it was found that the concentration of pollutants exceeds the permissible limit.

In addition, ornithologists-specialists from the city of Almaty were invited to fully investigate the relevance of the impact of spills on the fact of the death of swans registered earlier.

According to the results of the inspection, appropriate inspection response measures are taken and administrative cases are initiated.

We remind you that in 2022, Rixos WaterWorld Aktau was prosecuted for a similar violation of the law and paid a fine of 76 million tenge.

https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/cerc/press/news/details/684706?lang=kk

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12:58, 15 January 2024 | GMT +6

The carcasses of 20 swans were found in Karakiya district

Twenty swans died in Karakiya district of Mangistau region. All of them were destroyed in a special place, Kazinform reports.

It became known about the death of birds on the sea coast in the Karakiya district of the region. During the inspection, the carcasses of 20 swans were found, and currently the police have restricted the access of people to the seashore for a certain period. And the district akimat announced that relevant work has been undertaken in connection with the mentioned situation.

"As you know, a special commission was created for the region and a specific task was given. On January 11, 12 dead swans were found in Karakiya district, and 8 more dead swans were found a day later. Removal of corpses was carried out at the designated special place. Searching for dead swans on the sea coast in the region is currently underway. In this regard, the local executive authorities will continue to destroy the carcasses of swans found by searching the seashore. Local police have restricted access to the beach. Although not dangerous for humans, it is not dangerous for pets, but it is dangerous for pets. There are more than two and a half thousand domestic birds in the territory of the district. In September last year, about two thousand of them were vaccinated," said Asan Chukin, deputy governor of the district.

On December 21, 2023, the information about the killing of swans became known for the first time.

In the meantime, the Mangistau Regional Forestry and Wildlife Territorial Inspection officially confirmed the death of 601 whooper swans.

Also, the actual question of how much the waste water flowing from the Rixos hotel has to do with the swans in Karakol was raised.

In addition, it is known that a mobile crematorium furnace will be brought to Aktau from Atyrau region to destroy the swans killed in Karakol.

According to the latest information, the number of swans killed in Mangystau is about nine hundred.

https://kaz.inform.kz/news/karakiya-audaninda-20-akkudin-olekses-tabildi-59d800/