Wildlife Welfare

Wild Gannet Colony Recovery from Avian Influenza

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused catastrophic mortality in gannet colonies in 2022-2023, and monitoring recovery while managing welfare of sick birds is an ongoing challenge.

Key Facts

An estimated 25,000 gannets died from HPAI at UK colonies in 2022
Gannets show distressing neurological signs during HPAI infection before death
Recovery has been observed in some surviving individuals and partial colony recovery
Recolonisation of abandoned nest sites takes years as gannets are highly site-faithful
Monitoring for HPAI recurrence is ongoing at major colonies

Welfare Considerations

HPAI causes an extremely distressing illness in gannets - neurological signs including head tremor, loss of coordination and inability to fly. Affected birds suffer acutely before death. The colony-level mortality was catastrophic in welfare terms as well as conservation terms. Recovery monitoring allows welfare assessment of survivors and detection of new outbreaks.

What You Can Do

Support wildlife trusts monitoring and managing seabird colonies for HPAI
Report sick or dead seabirds to APHA through the official reporting system
Donate to organisations providing triage and assessment for HPAI-affected wild birds