According to foreign media reports, the outbreak of bird flu on the Farne Islands in the United Kingdom, which may lead to the death of tens of thousands of seabirds, has been called a "huge wildlife tragedy".
Recently, rangers working in the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland have put on protective suits and have collected the carcasses of more than 3,000 birds for burning.
The Farne Islands are one of the most important bird habitats in the UK, with 23 species, including puffins, and 200,000 birds living there.
Rangers have been removing bird carcasses to prevent further contamination. To ensure safety, they wear white protective clothing, gloves and masks. However, there are fears that thousands more birds have died from the disease and fallen off a cliff into the North Sea.
45,000 people travel to the Farne Islands each year, but the islands are closed to tourists earlier this month. Currently, the islands have been closed to tourists for more than three weeks to stop the spread of the disease during bird breeding.
To date, the injured birds include an 8-year-old Arctic tern that flies from the Farne Islands to Antarctica eight times in its lifetime and returns for a range of 144,000 miles. In addition, a 16-year-old three-toed gull was found, which began circling the island in 2006.
Simon Lee, director of the Farne Islands, said: "As we tackle this unprecedented wildlife tragedy on the island, the welfare of our staff, volunteers and visitors is our priority. ”
The avian influenza virus originated in East Asia and infected poultry in the UK in winter. Since then, it has spread across the country, infecting wild birds.
Birds become infected with this bird flu when they come into direct contact with infected birds, feces, bodily fluids, or indirectly through food and water.
While humans are rarely affected by this type of avian influenza, the people are calling on governments to take action.
Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and ecological restoration at the British National Trust, said: "This disease undermines decades of efforts to restore nature and the Government's goal of reversing species decline and improving its habitats.
"We need a more coordinated approach to ensure effective surveillance to study the impact of this deadly disease on wild birds in the UK."
Jiupai news intern reporter Liu Yating
【Source: Jiupai News】
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