Bird flu is spreading quickly across Germany, authorities warned Friday, with birds on farms and in the wild both affected by the outbreak.
There had been a “very rapid increase in infections” over the past two weeks, German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer said at a public briefing.
The top priority for authorities is “to prevent further spread of the virus, to protect animals and to avoid damage to our agriculture and food industry,” he added.
Germany’s national animal disease research centre, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), warned of a “high” risk of further outbreaks.
Because wild birds are affected, — including, for the first time, cranes — the FLI warned that “further, possibly widespread transmission” is to be expected.
An AFP photographer saw volunteers in white protective suits and masks collecting dozens of dead cranes in Linum, just north of Berlin.
The dead animals were then transported away by a digger.
Helge May, spokesman for the environmental group NABU, told AFP that it was likely that more than 240,000 animals had been culled in response to the outbreaks.
The FLI did not immediately respond when asked about that figure.
About 15,000 animals had to be culled at a farm in southwestern Germany on Thursday, regional authorities said.
Authorities have urged the public to avoid contact with sick or dead animals.
The FLI has warned that bird-to-human transmission is possible in theory, although the actual danger is believed to be low.
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