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Bird Flu Discovered in Antarctica
December 28, 2023
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Avian influenza (HPAI) commonly known as the Bird Flu has officially reached the Antarctic region, having previously been untouched by the pandemic. The alarming discovery has sent shockwaves through scientific and animal welfare communities alike, both of which are now raising concerns about the potential devastation facing the region.
The HPAI virus, specifically the H5N1 strain, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that has caused widespread outbreaks in bird populations worldwide. As a result, mass bird culling programmes have taken place, in a bid to stop the spread. Now that the strain has reached Antarctica, it appears that such drastic measures have failed to contain the disease, making the sacrifice of millions of lives pointless.
Scientists believe that the virus likely spread to the region through migratory birds–particularly skuas–which travel between Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere. The birds are scavengers, feeding on a variety of dead animals, including penguins, seals, and fish. As the virus spreads through skua populations, it could have a domino effect, decimating the entire food chain and significantly impacting the region’s ecosystem. Should the avian flu strain mutate and begin to infect other species, the results could be devastating.
Penguins are considered to be particularly vulnerable to this avian influenza. They rely on skuas and other scavenging birds to clear the environment of carcasses, which prevents the spread of diseases and keeps the ecosystem healthy. As skua populations dwindle, due to infection, rotting carcasses could create pathogens, thereby posing a threat to penguins and other wildlife.
Beyond the immediate impact on individual animal populations, the spread of bird flu in Antarctica could have serious ecosystem repercussions. The virus has the ability to spread to other marine birds, such as albatrosses and petrels, and even to mutate to reach marine mammals such as seals and whales. If left to play out, the avian flu outbreak could result in the total destabilisation of the food chain and wider ecosystem.
Activists call on humans to intervene
The discovery of H5N1 in Antarctica spotlights–once again–how human activities can impact even the most remote corners of the planet. Animal agriculture, fuelled by consumption of animals and their products, has been shown to support the spread of zoonotic diseases. Specifically to the avian flu pandemic, the international live bird trade has facilitated the movement of viruses across continents.
Animal advocate organization PETA Australia has responded to the Antarctic outbreak by connecting the dots between chicken farming and potential penguin deaths. In an audacious move, the group has erected a billboard which states, “Eat a Chicken and the Penguin Gets It. Factory Farms Are Incubators for Deadly Diseases Which Are Killing Wild Birds.” The sign is in close proximity to a KFC restaurant in Sydney, Australia. It asks poultry fans to think again about choosing animal protein, as such ‘harmless’ food preferences are having a global impact.
PETA’s campaign is a stark reminder that by choosing compassion over consumption, we can help safeguard the delicate balance of our planet’s ecosystems, because while factory farming and animal agriculture remain the norm, there is no corner on earth that won’t be touched by their consequences.
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FWC rescues 9.5-foot manatee entangled in rope, crab traps in Clearwater
FWC rescues 9.5-foot manatee entangled in rope, crab traps in Clearwater
By FOX 13 News Staff
PublishedNovember 21, 2023
article
CLEARWATER, Fla. – A manatee that was entangled in rope and crab traps in Clearwater Bay was rescued last week by multiple agencies, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
According to FWC, they were alerted on Thursday to a manatee that was entangled in line wrapped several times around its peduncle within a mile of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium at Island Estates.
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Due to rain and bad weather conditions, teams weren’t able to respond. The next day, FWC’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory (MMPL) tagged the 9.5-foot animal with a radio tag, and members of the CMA team tried to rescue it. Due to the number of other manatees in the area, though, their efforts were unsuccessful.
“We continued to assist with scouting for the animal over the weekend and tracking reports, and the animal was consistently reported in waters within or nearby Island Estates,” said Hannah Rogers, Senior Rescue Biologist at CMA.
On Monday, officials with the aquarium were told of a possible animal in the Mandalay channel but couldn’t see any entanglement, buoy, or tag, according to FWC.
A rescue team member in a kayak was able to see the radio tag under the surface of the water and verified this was the entangled manatee.
Crews then found that in addition to its entanglement by rope, the line holding the manatee was attached to four stone crab traps. FWC disentangled the animal, completed a workup of the animal, and then released it.
“Cyanide Bombs” Banned on 245 Million Acres of Public Lands by U.S. Department of the Interior
Ban will protect people, pets and wildlife from indiscriminate M-44 devices used for predator control on BLM land EUGENE, OR – Predator Defense is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of the Interior has banned the use of M-44 devices, commonly known as ‘‘cyanide bombs,’’ on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This includes over 245 million acres, roughly a tenth of the nation’s land mass. M-44s are spring-loaded ejectors armed with cyanide powder long used by government agents for predator control. They have injured many people to date, and inhumanely killed thousands of animals every year, including endangered species and pets. “I am immensely relieved that countless people and animals will now be spared death and poisoning on a huge portion of the American landscape,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, a national wildlife advocacy group. “Working with victims of M-44 tragedies for over 30 years, I’ve seen what these indiscriminate devices do to families who have lost beloved pets, been poisoned themselves, or potentially lost a child. I commend the Interior Department for making BLM lands immeasurably safer.” BLM is the only agency within the Interior Department that uses M-44s to target predators like coyotes. They are not used on lands administered by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Bureau of Reclamation. However, M-44 use continues on U.S Forest Service lands, which are managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and span 193,000,000 acres. They are also placed on private property by owner request. Most M-44s are placed by agents of Wildlife Services, the USDA’s animal-killing program. According to Wildlife Services’ data, in 2022 the program poisoned approximately 6,000 animals with M-44s in 10 states: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. State agencies in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas are also authorized to use M-44s. The public repeatedly expresses surprise that these dangerous devices continue to be used, especially after a well-known tragedy in 2017 in Pocatello, Idaho. Canyon Mansfield was 14 years old when he inadvertently triggered an M-44 device, thinking it was a sprinkler head. The M-44 had been illegally set on BLM land on a hill behind his home. It killed Canyon’s dog, Kasey, and injured him. Canyon was believed to have been spared from death because of the wind’s direction. The Mansfield family is thrilled by the BLM ban on M-44 use, but continues to push for a comprehensive ban. “We are so happy to finally see one federal government department banning another’s reckless and indiscriminate actions, telling Wildlife Services their use of these barbaric and antiquated devices must stop,” said Dr. Mark Mansfield, Canyon’s father. “We celebrate this critical move forward–ridding BLM lands of cyanide bombs. But there is more to do. Congress must enact ‘Canyon’s Law’ as a final act to ban M-44s on all public lands in America.” The current version of Canyon’s Law, which originated in 2019 in response to the Mansfield family’s tragedy, would ban M-44s on all public lands–federal, state and local. It was reintroduced in both houses of Congress in June 2023. Today’s BLM ban came about in response to a formal letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, sent in October 2022 by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and former Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) at the urging of Predator Defense. In it the Congressmen noted that the Interior Department had expressed openness to banning M-44s in their testimony to a Congressional subcommittee. The Congressmen urged they take immediate action to prevent future tragedies. Rep. Huffman followed up on this letter in 2023 after receiving status queries from Predator Defense, as the letter had appeared to languish. This month the Interior Department finally formalized their decision. Initial notice from Interior Department | Rep. Huffman’s press release Boosting work at the federal level, public demand for a ban has increased over time and is largely attributed to major media coverage of M-44 tragedies and popular statewide bans on the West Coast. Concurrent pressure has been applied by conservation organizations, e.g., the 2023 APA petition jointly filed by Predator Defense and the Center for Biodiversity and signed by over 70 conservation groups. “We are deeply grateful to Representative Huffman for pushing the BLM ban over the finish line,” said Fahy. “And since the Interior Department sees the wisdom of banning cyanide bombs, surely the USDA can, too. It’s high time our government steps up and stops putting people’s and animals’ lives at risk. They could save a lot of time, money and suffering by banning all M-44 use immediately.” |
| # # # Predator Defense is a national nonprofit advocacy organization devoted to protecting essential native predators, helping people learn to coexist with wild animals, and ending America’s war on wildlife.They have been championing native predators with science, sanity and heart since 1990. |
| Predator Defense | predatordefense.org |
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