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Avian flu: Several regions affected
Published on May 30, 2022 at 4:32 p.m., modified on May 30, 2022 at 4:55 p.m.
By: Felix Cote
After the Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Gaspésie, it is the turn of the residents of Tracadie to find gannet carcasses. Over the past few days, dozens of dead birds have been washed up into the sea.
The situation is getting worse with avian flu. Now, we are talking about a few dozen dead birds that have been spotted on the beaches of Tracadie, among other places. The news is surprising, considering that there is no Northern Gannet colony in New Brunswick.
“The gannets that we find here in the Acadian peninsula are gannets that come to feed on our territory during the day and then go back to their colony the same day. In reality, they will travel from Bonaventure Island to here, which is hundreds of kilometres,” explains Nature NB biologist Lewlanny Richardson.
Environment and Climate Change Canada took care of recovering the carcasses. These must be analyzed in the next few hours to find out if they are carriers of the bird flu virus. At the end of last week, birds from Bonaventure Island were found dead. The tourist season will begin all the same despite the macabre paces.
"Unfortunately I don't think other than picking up the carcasses quickly there is anything else that can be done, but I think it's unfortunately a wake-up call to remind people of the importance of protecting the habitat. of these birds", launches the biologist for the society of nature and parks, Véronique Buissière.
Dead birds are found daily on the beaches of Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands, fortunately they will finally be picked up. The Ministry of the Environment has mandated subcontractors to manage the situation, they will pick up the carcasses while respecting a protocol for transporting them. As there is no incinerator on the archipelago, the birds will be brought back to the mainland in order to carry out this operation. The invoice will be fully insured by Quebec.
"Obviously, the colony is still quite large... The colony of birds that ends up at the Rocher aux Oiseaux... If there is a part of the colony that has been infected with avian flu, it is very likely that it there are a lot of birds that have contracted the disease, so it is very possible that for a while, unfortunately, there will be other deaths, ”announces the mayor of the Magdalen Islands, Jonathan Lapierre.
In the meantime, we are still awaiting the results of necropsies carried out on birds that died in the last few days. Note, in closing, that avian flu is not a virus that humans are at risk of contracting.
https://cimtchau.ca/nouvelles/grippe-aviaire-plusieurs-regions-touchees/
