Cottbus - Avian influenza outbreak in zoo - pathogen detected
Suspicion of avian influenza has been confirmed at the zoo in Cottbus. The pathogen has so far been officially detected in five swans and one duck, the Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection in Potsdam announced on Tuesday afternoon. The zoo will remain closed until at least Friday. Further investigations are to clarify whether avian influenza - also known as bird flu - has spread further.
Initially, the Berlin-Brandenburg state laboratory detected the H5N1 virus, the ministry announced. On December 31, 2023, the national reference laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, then confirmed that it was the highly pathogenic variant of the virus.
"As the birds are rare breeds and protected species, the precautionary killing of animals and the establishment of restricted zones is currently refrained from", it said. Further samples are now being taken. According to the ministry, several black-necked swans and an eider duck have died so far.
According to the ministry, there has been a significant increase in the number of outbreaks in wild birds and domestic poultry in Germany since October 2023.
This Wednesday (1 p.m.), the city and the zoo want to provide information about the situation at the town hall. Tierpark director Jens Kämmerling said in a statement on Tuesday: "Together with the veterinary authorities, we are doing everything we can to protect and preserve the population as far as possible. To this end, the pathways of the pathogen must be investigated. It is not currently a question of killing animals in any way." Berlin Zoo was closed in November 2022 after a waterfowl was infected.
Bird flu has been appearing in Germany again and again for years; it is introduced and spread by wild birds. If a flock is infected with the highly contagious variant, all the animals there are usually killed. Humans are only infected in very rare cases. In mid-December, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute near Greifswald reported that the number of bird flu outbreaks in German and European poultry farms had recently increased significantly again.
Outbreaks of bird flu occur again and again in poultry farms. The pathogen, also known as avian influenza, was detected in a farm in Ostprignitz-Ruppin at the beginning of December. More than 10,000 birds had to be killed. There have also been cases in other federal states such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
According to its website, the municipal zoo in Cottbus keeps elephants, tigers, various monkeys, zebras, antelopes, ostriches and an abundance of waders and waterfowl.
The Ministry of Consumer Protection appealed to all poultry farmers to strictly adhere to safety measures to protect against avian influenza. In the event of unclear cases of illness or death in poultry, the responsible veterinary authorities should be informed as quickly as possible.
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- The H5N1 virus, associated with avian influenza, was initially detected in the birds at Cottbus' zoo by the Berlin-Brandenburg state laboratory.
- As the outbreak of avian influenza in Cottbus' zoo continues, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany confirmed it as the highly pathogenic variant of the H5N1 virus.
- Despite the outbreak, the zoo in Cottbus will not be imposing precautionary measures such as killing animals or establishing restricted zones due to the protected status of the rare bird breeds.
- In recent months, there has been a significant increase in avian influenza outbreaks in wild birds and domestic poultry in Germany, according to the Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection in Potsdam.
- The zoo director in Berlin cautioned against any rushed decisions to kill animals and emphasized the importance of understanding the spread of the pathogen to protect and preserve the animal population.
- The municipality and the zoo in Cottbus plan to provide an update on the situation at the town hall on Wednesday, following the recent avian influenza outbreak that has affected several swans and a duck.
- Despite occasional outbreaks of avian influenza in Germany, it rarely spreads to humans, and overall risk to public health remains low, according to health authorities.
Source: www.stern.de
