Avian flu tests after Moray bird deaths around local bay
Locals, visitors and wildfowlers asked to avoid the Findhorn Bay area while tests are carried out on 22 bird carcasses
NatureScot is asking members of the public - and also those shooting geese - to avoid Findhorn Bay as much as possible after reports of more than 22 dead pink-footed geese and an unusual number of gulls in the area.
Wildfowlers and recreational shooters are being asked not to shoot around the bay and surrounding feeding fields. Walkers and others are also asked to avoid the bay to minimise the possible impact of avian flu on wild birds.
NatureScot is awaiting test results to confirm if the deaths are due to avian flu. In the meantime, the nature agency has agreed a call for voluntary restraint with Moray Council as a precautionary measure.
Alastair MacGugan, NatureScot’s Wildlife Management Manager, said: “We are very concerned about the impact of avian flu on our wild bird populations, particularly with these latest suspected cases in Moray. It’s crucial we respond to the evolving situation quickly to reduce the chances of the disease spreading further and faster in Scotland.
“We don’t think a blanket ban on shooting geese across the Moray coast is warranted. But given what seem to be increasing cases of avian flu in the area, we would ask shooters to exercise restraint at this point until we find out more. We are also grateful to members of the public for their assistance in avoiding the area to help prevent the spread.”
It's as a fifth case of avian flu has been detected in Aberdeenshire. At least 200,000 birds in the North-East have now been impacted by the disease this month.
Local Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid is now seeking a meeting with Scotland’s chief veterinary officer.
NatureScot has a surveillance network monitoring migrating geese and wintering waterbirds to guard against the continuing threat of avian flu this winter. Information gathered by a team of site managers and volunteers across the country is feeding into the work of Scotland’s avian flu task force, helping it provide swift advice to government, conservationists and land managers on practical actions to help reduce the transmission and impact of the virus.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been confirmed in a number of domestic poultry premises around Banff and Turriff where restrictions and prevention measures are in place.
The risk to human health from the virus is very low, but members of the public should continue to avoid touching sick or dead wild birds and keep dogs on the lead in areas where there are infected birds.