The bodies of thousands of white ganedes have covered the shores of the Ile de la Madeleine in Quebec over the past two weeks, victims of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
“No one had to tell me this was happening; it’s obvious we’re talking about thousands of dead birds, “said Ile de Madeleine mayor Jonathan Lapierre in a recent interview.
“We are not talking about waste or a simple situation. We are talking about an exceptional event beyond our control. Moreover, we do not have an incinerator – we do not have a depot. We are on an island! ”
Quebec’s wildlife department says it has confirmed several hundred cases of highly pathogenic H5N1 on the Ile de la Madeleine, an archipelago of islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence since May 24.
Lapierre said the operation to dispose of all the dead animals had begun. The corpses, he added, must be exported by boat.
“All of this is not easy, given our location, the boat also carries people and rare goods,” Lapierre said. “We had to manage all these elements together.”
The highly contagious virus is spreading across the country to wild and domestic birds such as turkeys, chickens and ducks. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency estimates that nearly two million birds in commercial agricultural operations have been killed by the virus. The agency said bird flu is spreading worldwide and outbreaks have been confirmed in every province except Prince Edward Island.
“This year has been an unprecedented year for avian influenza worldwide,” the agency said in a statement.
“Birds in an infected barn will die within days if they are not euthanized. It is also difficult to predict how long the (highly pathogenic H5N1) virus that is currently circulating will remain in North America. Research in Europe at the moment shows that this particular strain appears to be quite resilient and able to survive in wild bird populations.
Stefan Leir, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal, says the first highly pathogenic cases of bird flu may have arrived in North America in late winter, including birds migrating from Europe.
“It happened naturally,” Leir said. “When a new virus arrives in a new population, the animals have no immunity. There is no doubt that the infection rate will be high in the beginning. “
Serge Hubert, a resident of Ile de la Madeleine, said in a recent interview that he had never seen so many dead ghans swimming in the water before this season.
“We’ve seen them sail for the last two or three weeks – dead. We fish 25 kilometers from the shores and see corpses all the way. “
The Canadian Wildlife Health Association, which has partnered with the federal government to monitor wild bird populations, said that while they could not test every dead bird, they could link most cases on the island to H5N1. Marion Jalenquez, the group’s veterinarian, said the H5N1 strain was not considered high-risk for humans, but was spreading rapidly among birds.
“We are testing many cases at the moment, but we cannot get 300 dead birds at once,” Jalenquez said in a recent interview, adding that the eastern cities of Quebec and the Mauritius and Monterigi regions have also reported cases.
“If we test 10 out of several hundred of the same event, it’s certainly connected.”
She said that while the destruction of commercial poultry helps prevent the spread of the virus, it is almost impossible to keep the virus in the wild.
“We can’t do much (to prevent it),” Halenkes said. “We are talking about huge areas with large bird populations. There are many diseases in the wild that we cannot control. “
This story was created with the financial support of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Our morning and evening newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a brief summary of the most important headlines of the day. Register today.
Add Comment