Israel: Hobby hunters spread bird flu

A severe outbreak of bird flu has brought about a complete hunting ban.

This decision was made by Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg, also in order to protect the health of hobby hunters.

Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg signed a hunting ban until the end of the current season in late January, to contain the spread of bird flu, which has already claimed the lives of thousands of wild cranes and domestic birds.

The acting head of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Raya Shourky, thanked Zandberg and stated that the virus is known to be transmissible to other animal species such as cats, weasels, and pigs, and in rare cases even to humans.

In recent months, several outbreaks of bird flu have occurred at laying battery farms in Israel. Hundreds of thousands of laying hens have already been culled to prevent further spread. In recent weeks, however, many wild birds have also become infected. Among others, several thousand cranes died. They arrive in Israel as migratory birds from southern Europe, stopping over on their way to Africa. “We assume this is a particularly aggressive variant of bird flu that is causing massive mortality among birds,” the Environment Ministry said in a statement.

Also in Germany: “The worst poultry plague epidemic ever”

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) on the island of Riems reported at the end of December that Germany and Europe are currently experiencing “the worst poultry plague epidemic ever.” New cases are being added daily, and not only among wild birds. According to reports from Israel, ducks and pigeons, which are normally permitted to be hunted, are also affected by the disease. It is assumed that hobby hunting of birds is facilitating the spread of the disease, because shots fired by recreational hunters cause mildly infected birds to take flight and spread bird flu into further areas.