At least 3,500 seabirds have been found dead since May 26 on the beaches of northern Chile, according to authorities investigating the phenomenon.
It turned out that the dead birds were of the Bougainville cormorant type, which is called the Guanayi cormorant in South America, and is distinguished by its black and white plumage.
Employees from the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, wearing special protective suits, worked to collect hundreds of dead birds that were dotting the beaches of Coquimbo, about 400 km north of the capital, Santiago, a tourist area that includes hotels, restaurants and casinos.
government comment
• The analyzes conducted by the Office of Agriculture and Livestock in Coquimbo have not yet determined the causes of the phenomenon.
• The director of the office, Jorge Mautz, told “Agence France Presse”, that the results of the analyzes, which were issued on Friday, ruled out that the death was caused by avian influenza.
• Mautz predicted that “something in the sea” would cause the death of these birds, which dive into the ocean to catch their prey.
This phenomenon surprised the residents of the area, and fisherman Edison Alfaro, 47, told AFP. “We’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s just amazing that all these dead little birds are there.”
Chile has been hit hard by avian influenza, which has so far killed 10 percent of vulnerable Humboldt penguins and thousands of other birds.
A 53-year-old man became the first person to contract the disease in Chile at the end of March, and he is still being treated in hospital.
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2023-06-03 10:30:04
