A large number of dead birds have been found in nature reserve De Onlanden, presumably victims of bird flu. And that is disastrous in the breeding season, says forester Bart Zwiers of Natuurmonumenten.
“We are now on the road with about four people in De Onlanden to get through that area with canoes to see what the situation is, but we are afraid that it is completely wrong,” says Zwiers about the working method in the nature reserve in North Drenthe and Groningen.
There are about 800 breeding pairs of black-headed gulls in the area, 1,600 birds in all. Zwiers: “If it hits there, thirty to maybe fifty percent of such a population will die. So you’re talking about 800 to 1,000 animals, at least.”
“The problem with bird flu: we see that it actually has an effect on all types of birds. And it also seems to be increasingly affecting foxes, martens and otters. Then the step to humans is not very big anymore. So it’s exciting, that bird flu,” said the forester.
The breeding season makes it extra dangerous. “Yes, those black-headed gulls are now huddling together en masse. And they seem to be still a few meters apart, but for example tern colonies, they are really beak to beak. Those animals are so infected.”
“We know how it develops. Such a virus mutates and eventually finds its way to humans. We have also seen a few cases in the world where that has happened. We also go into that area in full protection, so face masks, glasses, white suits, gloves, it’s something.”
The forester’s call is therefore: “Please, don’t touch it. Also watch your dog, it is not impossible that it will become infected.”