The avian flu, known as H5N1, is significantly impacting wild animal populations worldwide. Thousands of birds, including Northern Gannets and California Condors, have succumbed to this highly pathogenic strain. The extent of the mortality rates is largely unknown, with scientists struggling to track the vast numbers of affected wildlife. Observations from the shorelines reveal grave consequences, as dead birds wash up, highlighting a tragic reality that many people overlook. Conservationists express concern about the large-scale impact on ecosystems and the hidden crisis in wildlife health, calling attention to the dire situation outside public awareness.
A flock of Snow Geese in flight. 25,669 Northern Gannets in Canada.134 harbor and gray seals along the coast of Maine. 21 California Condors in the western U.S.
The virus, which scientists call H5N1, has spread like wildfire around the globe in recent years, surprising and horrifying scientists at every unpredictable turn.
countless wild animals are dying almost entirely out of our viewso many that even the limited tallies scientists can make are incomprehensibly large.
It's easier to treat the numbers as numbers and not think too hard about what they really represent, says Stephanie Avery-Gomm, a conservation scientist.
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