Over 1,000 gannets and hundreds of great skuas have been found dead across Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles. Anyone who finds a dead bird should not touch it and report it to DEFRA instead, according to RSPB Scotland.
"This is really serious, because seabirds are long lived, many don't reach breeding age until they're about five years, and typically they have small broods or even single chicks sometimes."10% of global gannet population lost
Scotland is home to 60% of the global population of breeding great skuas and 46% of breeding gannets.The current outbreak follows a suspected avian flu outbreak in Loch Fleet last month, which killed dozens of wild birds. The RSPB is calling on the Scottish government for better monitoring of the virus and for"more clarity" on how dead birds are being collected and disposed of to avoid further spread.
If anyone finds a dead bird along any part of the UK coast, they should not touch them and instead call the dedicated hotline set up by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs .
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