Extra penguins dying from avian flu at Cape City’s Boulders seashore colony By Reuters

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Extra penguins have died from avian flu on the colony at Cape City’s Boulders seashore, a well-liked vacationer attraction and an essential breeding website in South Africa, elevating considerations for the species and for different seabirds.

David Roberts, a scientific veterinarian on the South African Basis For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds, mentioned a minimum of 28 out of round 3,000 penguins within the colony had died from the illness because the center of August.

“Now we have confirmed avian influenza in 14 African penguins because the center of August,” Roberts mentioned, including that a minimum of one other 14 penguins have been additionally affected however not examined for the virus.

“It is a continuation of the outbreak that occurred final yr and it impacts a number of totally different species of sea birds and in the intervening time we’re fairly involved as a result of the numbers of penguins which can be being affected and dying from the illness goes up,” Roberts added.

South African environmental authorities mentioned on Sept. 16 that the pressure of extremely pathogenic avian influenza was much like that detected final yr amongst a variety of untamed seabirds, together with Cape cormorants and customary terns.

Roberts mentioned scientists have been monitoring the state of affairs as a result of it was not clear how the outbreak would evolve.

“As a result of the virus is contagious between birds, we’re doing every little thing that we will to scale back the viral load and transmission price between the penguins,” Alison Kock, marine biologist at South African Nationwide Parks, advised Reuters.

To establish and take away sick birds from the colony, South African scientists carry out assessments or diagnose penguins on their signs, Roberts mentioned. Sick and useless birds are then euthanised and cremated in try to scale back the unfold of the illness.

“There’s nearly no danger to folks from the virus however we do ask folks to ensure that once they go to the colony that they disinfect their sneakers as a result of it’s transmissible between totally different seabird colonies and in addition poultry farms,” Kock mentioned.