Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis “the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country.”
Kabar Medsos – A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation’s history.
Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said the situation is not yet under control.
“Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so it’s difficult for them to be taken out.” he said Monday.
Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis “the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country.”
“The extent of the damage is still unclear,” she tweeted.
Yaron Michaeli, spokesman for the Hula Lake park, where the crane population is centered, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.
Dafna Yurista, spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.
About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind, Michaeli said. This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.
Michaeli said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.
Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago.
Michaeli said the death toll among cranes appears to have stabilized in recent days.
“This is a good sign,” he said. “They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much.”
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said officials from the agriculture, environment and health ministries were monitoring the situation. There was no immediate information about infections among people, it said.
The cleanup is going more slowly than expected. “We are trying to see if there’s any other solutions,” Naveh said.
Ribuan burung bangau mati karena flu burung di Israel utara
Menteri Perlindungan Lingkungan Tamar Zandberg menyebut krisis itu sebagai “kerusakan paling serius terhadap satwa liar dalam sejarah negara itu.”
Kabar Medsos – Wabah flu burung di Israel utara telah menewaskan sedikitnya 5.200 burung bangau yang bermigrasi dan memaksa para petani untuk menyembelih ratusan ribu ayam ketika pihak berwenang mencoba menahan apa yang mereka katakan sebagai bencana satwa liar paling mematikan dalam sejarah negara itu.
Uri Naveh, seorang ilmuwan senior di Otoritas Taman dan Alam Israel, mengatakan situasinya belum terkendali.
“Banyak burung yang mati di tengah badan air sehingga sulit untuk dikeluarkan.” katanya Senin.
Menteri Perlindungan Lingkungan Tamar Zandberg menyebut krisis itu sebagai “kerusakan paling serius terhadap satwa liar dalam sejarah negara itu.”
“Tingkat kerusakannya masih belum jelas,” tweetnya.
Yaron Michaeli, juru bicara taman Danau Hula, tempat populasi bangau berpusat, mengatakan para pekerja memindahkan bangkai secepat mungkin, khawatir mereka dapat menginfeksi satwa liar lainnya.
Dafna Yurista, juru bicara Kementerian Pertanian, mengatakan setengah juta ayam di daerah itu disembelih untuk mencegah penyebaran penyakit.
Sekitar 500.000 bangau melewati Israel setiap tahun dalam perjalanan ke Afrika dan sejumlah kecil tetap di belakang, kata Michaeli. Tahun ini, diperkirakan 30.000 burung bangau tinggal di Israel selama musim dingin.
Michaeli mengatakan diyakini bahwa burung bangau itu terinfeksi oleh burung-burung kecil yang melakukan kontak dengan peternakan yang menderita wabah.
Media Israel memuat foto-foto pekerja berjas hazmat putih yang mengumpulkan bangkai burung bangau setelah burung-burung itu pertama kali ditemukan sakit sekitar 10 hari yang lalu.
Michaeli mengatakan jumlah kematian di antara crane tampaknya telah stabil dalam beberapa hari terakhir.
“Ini pertanda baik,” katanya. “Mereka mungkin mulai melupakan ini. Kami sangat berharap.”
Kantor Perdana Menteri Naftali Bennett mengatakan para pejabat dari kementerian pertanian, lingkungan dan kesehatan sedang memantau situasi. Tidak ada informasi langsung tentang infeksi di antara orang-orang, katanya.
Pembersihan berjalan lebih lambat dari yang diharapkan. “Kami mencoba untuk melihat apakah ada solusi lain,” kata Naveh.
