Dalmatian pelicans
Bonn, 30 March 2022 - On March 11 2022, an outbreak of avian influenza was reported at the Prespa National Park, in Greece, resulting in mass mortality events that have severely impacted the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) nesting population found in the Lesser Prespa Lake.
The Dalmatian pelican is classified as Near Threatened according to the IUCN and is protected under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) – listed on both appendix I and II – and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). These migratory waterbirds are known to nest in colonies running along south-east Europe to central-eastern Asia.
The Greek National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza has confirmed the presence of H5N1 HPAI virus in the samples taken from the Lesser Prespa Lake population. The transmission of the highly pathogenic avian influenza can be influenced by a variety of environmental and biological factors. Colonial breeding in Dalmatian pelicans can facilitate the disease transmission due to the proximity and density of its breeding populations.
The Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) has reported that the authorities have collected most carcasses to date, amounting to 1143 individuals. Dalmatian pelican mass mortality has also been observed in adjacent wetland regions. The sad news coming from Greece confirm several reports of similar outbreaks happening over the past few months in different countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, Israel, Canada or Senegal.
However, following recommendations given by the co-convened CMS-FAO Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza (see below) the Prespa authorities have been fast in taking action and successfully removing most dead wild birds. This is an encouraging development as a fresh batch of migratory waterbirds such as Great White Pelicans are expected to be arriving to the Park in the coming weeks, highlighting the importance of effective measures in containing the outbreak.
Avian influenza continues to remain a threat to wildlife species, and as the Prespa National Park case shows, conservation gains could be wiped out by a disease outbreak within a short period of time. The Park authorities have for instance counted only 32 active Dalmatian pelican nests following the mass mortality event, while there were reportedly 1370 nests in the same period, last year. The need for proper guidance in dealing with outbreaks is therefore of high importance.
As a response to the recent outbreaks, the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds has released a statement and a set of recommendations aimed at countries at risk :
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Last updated on 20 April 2022