Sad sight of dying gannet at Keiss beach as it breathes its last and draws a line in the sand – bird flu claims countless victims along Caithness coastline
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The full horror of the current bird flu outbreak around the Caithness coast was captured in a series of poignant images taken at Keiss beach as a gannet breathed its last.
The final poignant moments were recorded as the large seabird scraped a line in the sand with its beak before throwing its head back and expiring. Around it were the bodies of countless seabirds along with a number of beached fulmars and guillemots that were dying.
Retired Thurso vet Sinclair Manson had previously talked to the paper about the severity of the avian flu epidemic around the Caithness coast and why people should stay away from affected birds.
"People should stay well clear from them. It's probably bird flu that's killing a lot of these birds as it's rife at the moment. A lot of these epidemics run their course and a percentage will die...perhaps 30, 40 or even 50 per cent maybe but they will recover from it, there's no doubt about that."
One local birder said that avian flu can make the animals go blind and they can even fly into cliffs in their state of confusion.
There is no treatment for bird flu, says the Scottish SPCA. "If we attend to a bird with symptoms of bird flu, we will put them to sleep to end their suffering. Otherwise, they’ll suffer for a period of time before dying," states the animal charity.
It further stated: "Wild bird populations have been devastated in parts of the country. Whilst avian influenza has circulated among bird populations on a regular basis for two decades, the current outbreak is the worst Scotland has experienced in terms of transmission and mortality rates. It has spread rapidly and killed tens of thousands of birds.
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"The strain of avian influenza infecting bird populations at the moment is highly contagious. Due to the current situation, we are not admitting wild birds to our National Wildlife Rescue Centre."
The charity said that the public should not touch or pick up a sick bird and should report sightings to Defra’s helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Advice from the UK Health Security Agency is that avian influenza poses a very low risk to the general public’s health but anyone who touches an infected bird should wash their hands right away.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "If you find a single dead wild waterfowl – swans, geese or ducks – a single dead bird of prey, or five or more dead wild birds of any other species, including gulls, at the same place at the same time you should report them to Defra’s national telephone helpline on 03459 33 55 77."
