Hundreds of Alderney gannets die as bird flu rise expected

Hundreds of seabirds have died as conservationists prepare for a "significant increase" in reports of "devastating" avian flu in Alderney.

Alderney Wildlife Trust said it expected the island's gannet colony - which represent nearly 1% of the global population - to be particularly impacted.

It comes as the island has been declared an avian flu infected area.

It means poultry or other birds cannot be imported or exported.

A spokesperson for the wildlife trust said: "Our team spends hundreds of hours each year studying these birds and working with the government to ensure their protection, and all of us are finding this current situation extremely distressing."

It said "in less than three weeks at least 10% of the colony's remaining gannet chicks were lost alongside an unknown number of adult birds".

"This means many hundreds of birds have already succumbed to the disease, with the threat of thousands more dying."

The trust said reports of dead birds at sea were usually rare, but in recent weeks more than 50 had been recorded.

It added that French authorities were also reporting "significant numbers washing up" on their coastline.

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