2023-08-31 21:22:34
With our correspondent in Buenos Aires, Theo Conscience
Juan Lorenzani has never seen this. President of the Fauna Argentina Foundation, he takes care of the colony of lions of the sea of Mar del Plata for more than 40 years: Today, two new sea lions were found dead on the beaches. Since all this started ten days ago, 105 animals have already died. »
Avian flu has already decimated almost 3% of the approximately 3,800 sea lions that live on the coasts of the province of Buenos Aires. ” As it is a very aggressive strain, at this stage, all animals are surely carriers of the virus. “, he explains.
In February, the H5N1 avian flu had already killed more than 500 sea lions on the Peruvian coast. ” What is suspected is that sea lions from Peru came into contact with those from Chile, where cases have also been recorded, which then passed through Tierra del Fuego before making their way back up here. “, continues the expert.
To prevent the disease from being transmitted to birds, the corpses are removed from the beaches of Mar del Plata using a crane, before being buried. ” We dig a well five meters deep with an excavator, line it with lime, and put the dead animals in it before filling it “, he explains.
In order to limit the risk of possible transmission to humans, health authorities also recommend not approaching mammals and avoiding beaches where corpses have been found.
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