Bird Flu Confirmed in Dolphins
Image courtesy of JLG from PIxabay
Many years ago, I was horrified to find a dozen or so dead porpoises on a Cornish beach. Their death was the result of intensive fishing with drag nets. I don’t eat fish, but I still can’t sit down next to someone tucking into sea bass without shuddering.
Now we are looking at the latest problem for cetaceans. It would seem that avian flu has been moving from birds to foxes and otters and now is infecting the creatures of the sea.
A female short-beaked dolphin found on Newgale beach in February has caused a bit of a stir. Collected for the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), the animal’s body was sent to London Zoo for an autopsy.The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) subsequently confirmed avian bird flu.
Another Dolphin in Dorset and one in Yorkshire have also been found to be infected with the virus.
H5N1 has been making its way around the planet for 18 months now, infecting and killing hundreds of millions of domestic and wild birds. With its jump to mammals, is it only a matter of time before humans also become infected?
Everyone is being advised not to touch any marine animals that we might come across on the beach. It isn’t just bird flu virus that is being flagged as a health risk, as many marine creatures also carry parasites and diseases that can be harmful to humans.
The advice from the experts is that if you find a stranded creature on the beach you should call the CSIP strandings line on 0800 6520333.
