Peru on Tuesday said that 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in the past few weeks, in the latest report on the disease’s effects.
Following the discovery of 55,000 dead birds in eight protected coastal areas, rangers found the bird flu that killed them had also claimed 585 sea lions in seven protected marine areas, the Peruvian National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State said.
The dead birds included pelicans, various types of gulls, and penguins, the agency said in a statement.
Photo: Peruvian National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State / AFP
Laboratory tests also confirmed the presence of H5N1 in the dead sea lions, prompting the authorities to announce a “biological vigilance protocol.”
The Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service urged people and their pets to avoid contact with sea lions and sea birds on the beach.
In December last year, Peruvian authorities culled 37,000 birds on a chicken farm over bird flu, following previous outbreaks that affected wildlife. Killing infected birds is part of the usual protocol to control avian influenza outbreaks.
In November, the country declared a 180-day health alert after finding three cases of the highly contagious H5N1 in pelicans.
The Peruvian National Service of Agrarian Health said the disease is transmitted by migratory birds from North America.
Since late 2021, Europe has been gripped by its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu, while North and South America are also experiencing severe outbreaks.
It is rare that bird flu jumps over into mammals — and rarer still that humans catch the potentially deadly virus.
However, the virus has recently been found in foxes and otters in Britain, a cat in France and grizzly bears in Montana. All the mammals were suspected to have eaten infected birds.
When a hiker fell from a 55m waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which could not be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite the pet and the owner. A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24, but they were forced to
HIGH HOPES: The power source is expected to have a future, as it is not dependent on the weather or light, and could be useful for places with large desalination facilities A Japanese water plant is harnessing the natural process of osmosis to generate renewable energy that could one day become a common power source. The possibility of generating power from osmosis — when water molecules pass from a less salty solution to a more salty one — has long been known. However, actually generating energy from that has proved more complicated, in part due the difficulty of designing the membrane through which the molecules pass. Engineers in Fukuoka, Japan, and their private partners think they might have cracked it, and have opened what is only the world’s second osmotic power plant. It generates
Hundreds of Filipinos and tourists flocked to a sun-bleached field north of Manila yesterday, on Good Friday, to witness one of the country’s most blood-soaked displays of religious fervor, undeterred by rising fuel prices. Scores of bare-chested flagellants with covered faces walked barefoot through the dusty streets of Pampanga Province’s San Fernando as they flogged their backs with bamboo whips in the scorching heat. Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists said they saw devotees deliberately puncturing their skin with glass shards attached to a small wooden paddle to ensure their bleeding during the ritual, a way to atone for sins and seek miracles from
Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen (高兟), famous for making provocative satirical sculptures of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東), was tried on Monday over accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs,” his wife and a rights group said. Gao, 69, who was detained in 2024 during a visit from the US, faces a maximum three-year prison sentence, said his wife, Zhao Yaliang (趙雅良), and Shane Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Human Rights Defenders group which operates outside the nation. The closed-door, one-day trial took place at Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei Province neighboring the capital, Beijing, and ended without a
RSS