Wildlife Welfare

Wild UK Gannet HPAI Recovery Welfare

UK gannet colonies face ongoing recovery challenges from highly pathogenic avian influenza with welfare monitoring continuing at major sites.

Key Facts

The 2022 HPAI H5N1 outbreak caused tens of thousands of gannet deaths at UK colonies
Bass Rock in Scotland lost an estimated 25,000 gannets representing significant population impact
Colony monitoring continues with regular census counts tracking recovery trajectory
Gannets show signs of natural immunity development in surviving populations
International spread of HPAI has affected seabird populations across the North Atlantic

Welfare Considerations

HPAI mortality in gannets caused acute welfare suffering at enormous scale and continues to affect colonies. Monitoring recovery supports understanding of disease dynamics while reducing controllable stressors including disturbance benefits the welfare of recovering populations.

What You Can Do

Respect disturbance exclusion zones at gannet colonies to support recovery
Support RSPB and JNCC seabird monitoring programmes tracking HPAI recovery
Engage with wild bird disease surveillance organisations reporting HPAI mortality events