Over 50,000 wild birds have been killed by avian flu in the UK between October 2021 and April 2023, which is twice as many as the British Trust for Ornithology estimated, according to a survey published by the Guardian on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) Over 50,000 wild birds have been killed by avian flu in the UK between October 2021 and April 2023, which is twice as many as the British Trust for Ornithology estimated, according to a survey published by the Guardian on Friday.
The current outbreak, which is caused by the highly infectious variant of H5N1, resulted in the most significant loss of birds, particularly seabirds, in decades across Europe. Conservationists warn that it could result in the extinction of a number of seabird species, since their breeding colonies have been particularly affected.
According to The Guardian's survey, Scotland has suffered the most with 36,500 recorded bird deaths between October 2021 and April 2023. England rates second with 7,300 deaths, followed by Wales with 5,000 deaths and Northern Ireland with 500. However, some experts say that even those numbers could be an underestimation, since most bird carcasses are never found and therefore not included in the statistics.
