Avian flu warning to tourists as birds face 'catastrophe'

Holidaymakers are being warned to enactment distant from sick oregon dormant birds washed up connected the UK's beaches arsenic avian flu continues to ravage chaotic populations.

Thousands of infected seabirds person been recovered on the UK coastline arsenic the largest outbreak of the normally-seasonal microorganism continues into summer.

The RSPB has warned the dispersed among seabird populations is simply a "crisis that could go a catastrophe".

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says the hazard to humans is 'very low'.

But beachgoers are being urged to enactment distant from dormant oregon sick birds, support dogs connected the pb and to study birds to the authorities.

In the past period alone, hundreds of dormant birds suspected to person been infected with avian flu person been recovered washed up connected beaches crossed the UK, including on the Sefton Coast, connected beaches adjacent Blackpool, astatine Stonehaven Beach successful Aberdeenshire, connected the Isle of Man and on the southbound Pembrokeshire coast.

Rhian Sula, wide manager for the National Trust, which owns astir a 4th of the Pembrokeshire coastline, said its unit were retired and astir connected beaches informing visitors of vertebrate flu.

She said that portion section radical had a bully consciousness of the microorganism "not each visitors do".

"As overmuch arsenic we person placed informing signs out, they whitethorn not spot them oregon they whitethorn disregard them truthful we are having to person those conversations astir wherefore it is important to support dogs connected the pb and support distant from the birds," she added.

While quality infections are highly rare, vertebrate flu tin beryllium dispersed done adjacent interaction with infected birds and their droppings.

James Parkin, manager of quality and tourism for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said section rangers person truthful acold collected astir 700 to 800 birds - mostly guillemots but besides razorbills and gannets.

He said confirmation that the country was seeing its 2nd question of vertebrate flu "was astir arsenic devastating quality arsenic we could person received".

Across the UK, the existent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has seen 190 confirmed cases since October 2022, starring to the culling of millions of poultry.

It is said to person killed astatine slightest 50,000 chaotic birds - but that is mostly accepted to beryllium an underestimate.

The RSPB is presently carrying retired seabird colonisation counts crossed the UK to spot however severely colonies person been affected.

It is thought numbers of large skuas, a seabird severely deed by HPAI, are down 90% successful immoderate areas and astir 30,000 big black-headed gulls - 10% of the UK breeding colonisation - has been mislaid since mid-April.

In total, 21 of the UK's 25 breeding seabird taxon person present tested affirmative for the microorganism since 2021.

Jeff Knott, the RSPB's manager of argumentation and advocacy, said determination had been an "unprecedentedly ample number" of seabird deaths.

He told the BBC: "Tens of thousands of birds are washing up astir our coastline but that could correspond hundreds of thousands, perchance millions, of birds.

"Obviously, seabirds walk astir of their clip retired astatine oversea - truthful the chances of them washing up connected a formation are reasonably debased truthful we can't cognize the existent number."

Mr Knott added that, coupled with threats posed by biology and clime change, the interaction of upwind farms and bycatch by sportfishing vessels, "bird flu could beryllium the straw that broke the camel's back" for rarer seabirds, posing a hazard of section extinction.

"This is simply a genuine situation that could go a catastrophe," helium added.

The RSPB is present calling connected the UK's devolved governments to bring successful caller seabird conservation strategies.

The UK's location federation administrations said they were monitoring the concern and the semipermanent interaction of vertebrate flu connected chaotic vertebrate populations.

The UK's main veterinary serviceman Christine Middlemiss added: "More widely, the authorities has taken wider measures to enactment seabirds done the marine wildlife bycatch mitigation inaugural and volition people an English seabird Conservation and betterment pathway that volition measure seabird vulnerabilities and the actions needed to code them."

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said it would beryllium consulting connected a seabird conservation strategy adjacent year.

She said: "It volition place opportunities to heighten our seabird populations' resilience to pressures specified arsenic avian flu, arsenic good arsenic the clime and quality emergencies."

A Scottish authorities spokesperson said its seabird conservation strategy was "in development" and it would "consult connected the program successful owed course".