HUNDREDS OF PELICANS PERISH AT BIRD PARK IN SENEGAL

Fri 29 January 2021:

At least 750 pelicans have reportedly perished at a bird sanctuary in northern Senegal.

The 740 adult and 10 young pelicans died due to an unknown reason on Jan. 23 at Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary in the Saint-Louis region, according to local media.

The director of Senegal’s parks, Bocar Thiam, said the number of water birds at the sanctuary increased during the migration season, adding this is the first time they have encountered such a large number of deaths.

The cause of death is not due to a bird flu outbreak in Senegal earlier this month, Thiam added.

The park has been closed to visitors while an investigation is conducted.

Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

An unverified video published on local media showed hundreds of muddy pelican carcasses scattered on a beach, their feathers a darker shade than their normal white.

“We took some samples for screening and we hope in the near future to know what caused the death of the pelicans,” Bocar Thiam, the director of Senegal’s parks, said in an interview.

The sanctuary is a transit place for about 350 species of birds but only pelicans were found dead, he said. Of those killed, 740 were juveniles and 10 were adults.

Authorities have closed the park and ordered the incineration of the dead birds as a precaution.

This month, Senegal reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a poultry farm in the Thies region about 120 miles (193 kilometres) south, resulting in the culling of about 100,000 chickens.

FILE PHOTO