The bird flu outbreak in nature reserve De Onlanden is spreading. “It is dramatic and the end is not yet in sight. There are already hundreds of cases, eventually perhaps towards a thousand.”
“And that is painful to see”, Zwiers concludes. “Those animals are breeding and actually want to have peace. That’s the moment when you as a forest ranger don’t actually want to go into such an area, but we really do this to contain the virus. This is how we try to prevent the worst I also don’t have the idea that we are limiting it completely, but you try to do everything you can,” says Zwiers.
Currently, it is mainly black-headed gulls that are the victims, he sees. “There are many black-headed gulls, but if it spreads to bitterns, for example, then such a population can really decimate. They reproduce much less quickly than other species. Then we really have a problem.”
In the fear of becoming infected himself, the ranger goes into the area dressed in a white suit, with a face mask and protective goggles. “In times of corona I ran into the employees of the test street, now I walk in nature myself. There is also a wading suit underneath. It is hard to walk, sometimes you go through the mud up to your waist. This is Not the nicest job for a ranger.”
Zwiers is upset about the situation. “I do feel a bit of a voice in De Onlanden. There is no government that helps us. As a chicken farmer you only have to call and they will be at your doorstep with trucks. We as forest rangers are really on our own. That is deeply frustrating. “
“We must at least have financial help,” he says. “And we can’t get rid of these cadavers anywhere. They are now rotting somewhere on a cart in the work shed. That can’t take very long. Otherwise I’ll just have to dig a hole in the woods or something. You can hope that the government jump on this and help us.”
The area will remain accessible to walkers and cyclists. “But please keep your dogs on a leash. They can also become infected. Maybe foxes and otters will also become infected. I find that scary myself, because that is the next step towards mammals. We are mammals too, we should all time to avoid.”