Isle of Man Nature Reserve forced to close after 131 suspected cases of bird flu
More than 130 birds have been found dead and dying after a suspected bird flu outbreak at an Isle of Man nature reserve.
The Point of Ayre Nature Reserve has closed with immediate effect after the Greylag Geese were found over the weekend, and other bird keepers on the Island are being advised to remain vigilant.
Neil Morris, Manx BirdLife Managing Director, said he was "somewhat staggered" when he counted the number of birds.
He added all were Greylags except for two, a Great Black-backed Gull and a winter Herring Gull.
He said: "Most of the birds were already dead, but about one in five were moribund.
"Clearly distressed, these dying birds were in a state of semi-torpor showing symptoms such as rolling their head and neck from side-to-side over their backs, shivering, staggering about and simply being too weak to walk or fly."
The discovery follows concerns raised by the nature reserve site manager about a steady increase in the number of dead geese being found over the past week.
To gauge the scale of the problem, a full count was carried out.
It is suspected bird flu has caused the deaths, but test results from the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) will confirm.
Meanwhile Blackpool Council has made the decision to cordon off access to the lake at Stanley Park as part of biosecurity measures around avian flu.
The Council is warning people "DO NOT pick up any sick or dead birds they may come across to avoid spreading the virus, which can affect humans in rare cases."
What is bird flu?
Bird flu is a viral disease affecting the respiratory tract. It has affected wild bird populations around the world for many years. On just a few rare occasions, it has been contracted by people working in close proximity with large numbers of domestic birds.
The current widespread strain, H5N1, is considered one of the most pathogenic and is highly contagious among wild and domestic bird populations.
H5N1 was first confirmed on the Isle of Man in captive birds in January 2022, with the first positive test among wild birds being confirmed in February 2022.
More recently, a dead Rook near Bride tested positive as did two dead gulls found on Fleshwick beach. Other species known to have died on the Island from this latest outbreak include Buzzard, Peregrine, Gannet and Greylag Geese.
Water birds such as ducks, geese and gulls are particularly susceptible, as are domestic birds.
The risk to human health is considered to be very low.
On Monday, 31 October, the UK's chief veterinary officer ordered all poultry and captive birds to be kept indoors amid the UK’s largest ever outbreak of bird flu.
The mandatory housing measures will come into force across England from midnight on 7 November.
The UK Health Security Agency has advised the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency advice remains unchanged, stating that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.
What do you do if you find a bird with suspected bird flu?
DEFA strongly advises bird keepers to remain vigilant by practicing good biosecurity and reducing any contact that wild birds have with kept birds.
Do not touch or pick up any visibly sick birds that you find.
If you find a dead single, small garden or wild bird then you do not need to contact DEFA. You should leave it alone.
But, if you find:
Two or more large waterfowl (such as swans or geese) together and freshly dead; or,
Six or more smaller birds together and all freshly dead
you should report these to the Animal Health Team – Regulation Directorate, DEFA
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