Gannet colonies at Bass Rock, Bempton Cliffs, and other UK sites are among the most spectacular wildlife aggregations in Britain. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has devastated some colonies, raising profound welfare and conservation challenges.
HPAI mortality in gannet colonies causes mass individual suffering through neurological disease and a distressing death. The concentration of birds in dense breeding colonies means disease spreads rapidly once introduced. Individual gannets dying from HPAI experience acute neurological deterioration that is genuinely distressing. Beyond individual welfare, the population-level impact on long-lived, slow-reproducing species is severe. The limitations of current interventions highlight how vulnerable colonial seabirds are to emerging infectious disease.