The outbreak of avian influenza has killed over 5,000 migratory cranes in Israel, prompting authorities to ban tourists from entering the nature reserve and warning of a potential egg shortage as poultry is also being culled as a precaution.
A flock of cranes in the Hula Nature Reserve in November 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened a meeting with the national security advisor and other experts to discuss ways to control the outbreak and prevent the disease from spreading to humans. So far, no human infections have been reported, according to Prime Minister Bennett’s office.
Israeli media reported that children who visited the reserve may have come into contact with infected cranes, contributing to the spread of the influenza.
“This is the heaviest blow to our wildlife in history,” wrote Israel’s Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg on Twitter, as forest rangers in protective gear collected the carcasses of cranes from the water in the Hula reserve and remote wetlands.
She noted that hundreds of thousands of farmed chickens have also been culled.
Israeli officials plan to ease import quotas to purchase additional eggs from abroad to avoid an egg shortage following the culling of chickens.
