Marine & Aquatic

Wild Seabird Avian Influenza Response Welfare

High pathogenicity avian influenza has caused unprecedented seabird mortality, requiring welfare-focused response and monitoring.

Key Facts

HPAI H5N1 caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of seabirds in UK colonies in 2022-2023
Gannet, skua, and tern colonies suffered catastrophic mortality events affecting entire islands
Clinical signs include neurological dysfunction with affected birds showing severe distress before death
Handling infected birds poses zoonotic risk requiring personal protective equipment

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds dying from HPAI experience acute neurological symptoms causing distress and inability to fly or feed before death. The welfare emergency across multiple species simultaneously overwhelmed rehabilitation capacity. Monitoring, rapid response, and minimising additional stressors in affected colonies are the primary welfare actions.

What You Can Do

Report dead seabirds to APHA through the government reporting portal
Do not handle dead seabirds without appropriate protective equipment
Support seabird monitoring organisations tracking population recovery post-HPAI