Bar-headed geese fly over the Himalayas at altitudes exceeding 7000m, with welfare challenges from this extraordinary migration and growing avian influenza disease pressure.
Bar-headed geese crossing the Himalayas face extreme physiological challenge in hypoxic conditions at extreme altitude. Their remarkable adaptations largely mitigate this challenge but severe weather events can cause exhaustion during the crossing. Avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks at breeding colonies cause acute welfare impacts through mass mortality events with large numbers of birds dying from respiratory and neurological disease. Climate-driven changes to breeding lake conditions affect foraging success and reproductive welfare.