Wildlife Welfare

Wild Avian Influenza and Wild Bird Welfare

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) has caused mass mortality in wild bird populations. Understanding HPAI welfare impacts helps inform responses and reporting.

Key Facts

HPAI H5N1 caused mass mortality in seabirds including gannets, skuas, and terns from 2021
Affected birds suffer neurological symptoms and rapid death
Mass mortality events represent individual welfare harm at unprecedented scale
Reporting of sick or dead waterbirds enables outbreak monitoring and response
Recovery of affected colonies depends on ongoing management support

Welfare Considerations

HPAI has caused individual welfare harm at unprecedented scale in wild bird populations. Rapid reporting of sick or dead birds enables disease monitoring and is an important individual welfare and population response.

What You Can Do

Report multiple sick or dead wild birds to APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency)
Do not handle sick wild birds without appropriate protective equipment
Monitor local seabird colonies for signs of HPAI through citizen science
Support research into HPAI impacts on wild bird populations and welfare