Bird flu: Two dolphins die from avian influenza in UK waters for the first time

[Shiloh]

Source: https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/bird-flu-dolphins-die-avian-influenza-uk-2214336

Bird flu: Two dolphins die from avian influenza in UK waters for the first time
ExclusiveThe highly infectious H5N1 variant has previously been found in otters, foxes and grey seals in the UK
By Jane Merrick
Policy Editor
March 16, 2023 3:58 pm(Updated 4:51 pm)

Two dolphins have died from bird flu in UK waters for the first time, the government has announced.

The sea mammals were found in separate locations, on beaches in Devon and in Pembrokeshire, last month.

Both dolphins were confirmed to have been infected with the highly infectious H5N1 variant of avian influenza which has spread around the globe during the past 18 months...

 

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Dolphin found dead on Newgale beach was infected with avian flu

4 hrs ago


By Ruth Davies
Reporter

A dolphin washed up on a Pembrokeshire beach has been found to be one of the first cetaceans in the world to be infected with avian flu.

The adult female dolphin was discovered on Newgale beach last month.
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Cardigan-based Mat Westfield, who is the Marine Environmental Monitoring Strandings Co-ordinator for Wales, collected the female short-beaked common dolphin from Newgale beach on February 19 for the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP).

He said: “As normal practice, the dolphin was then transferred to London Zoo where a team carried out a post-mortem.

“During the post-mortem, various different samples were taken and sent off to various labs across the UK and Europe for further testing.

“The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) came back to us confirming that two dolphins and one porpoise had tested positive for avian bird flu.

“This was not the cause of death in any of the three animals.

“The common dolphin that we collected off Newgale beach had died from blunt force trauma, most likely caused by another dolphin."
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https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/ne...ted-avian-flu/