Wildlife

Wild Avian Influenza Seabird Welfare

HPAI H5N1 has caused catastrophic mortality in seabird colonies, particularly affecting gannets, skuas, and terns across the North Atlantic.

Key Facts

UK gannet colonies lost over 25 percent of their populations to HPAI in 2022
Great skuas experienced colony losses of over 40 percent at some Scottish sites
Seabirds are highly social and cluster tightly, facilitating rapid disease spread
Mass mortality events cause colony disruption affecting breeding success for years after outbreaks
No effective intervention exists for wildlife populations during HPAI outbreaks

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds dying from HPAI experience rapid neurological deterioration and hemorrhagic disease. Mass mortality events on scale of thousands represent acute wildlife welfare emergencies with no current mitigation.

What You Can Do

Report sick or dead seabirds to the Animal and Plant Health Agency
Support monitoring programs tracking HPAI spread through UK seabird populations
Donate to seabird conservation organizations supporting affected colony recovery