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Avian Influenza Threatens Vulture Populations Worldwide ->Newswise | More on "Avian flu threatens vulture populations" at BigEarthData.ai | #BirdFlu #AvianInfluenza

newswise.comAvian Influenza Threatens Vulture Populations WorldwideThe signatories of a letter published in the journal Conservation Biology warn of the threat posed by avian flu to vulture populations. They also highlight the potential impact that the decline in vultures could have on ecosystems and human wellbeing. To address this situation, they propose five courses of action: to monitor vulture populations, implement vaccination campaigns, manage the carrion, establish protocols for handling vultures, and promote local action plans. Vultures are one of the most threatened group of birds in the world. Currently, at least 16 of the 23 species of vulture are of conservation concern, largely as a result of poisoning and other threats due to human activity. However, “they provide us with one of the most important ecosystem services for human wellbeing: they feed on decomposing animal carcasses, that harbour pathogens. It has been proven that scavengers help prevent or reduce the spread of pathogens. That is, they prevent disease-causing microorganisms from continuing to spread”, explains Jon Morant, researcher at the EHU-University of the Basque Country. The avian flu virus (H5N1), which caused the panzootic —the equivalent of a pandemic in animals—, is highly contagious and could lead to the collapse of vulture populations, which are already...

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