Possible bird flu outbreak: Sea lions die between San Blas and La Loberia

The bizarre deaths of at least three furry sea lions in the San Blas Bay and near Punta Rubia have shocked a marine animal monitoring team that had been in the area for some time.

this increases Necochea sea lion mass die-off. In this case Senasa already confirmed This is bird flu. In addition, the TN news channel said this afternoon that about 30 dead specimens had been found in Mar del Plata.

In addition to the temporary closure of the Punta Bermeja Nature Reserve (La Lobería) on the Atlantic coast of the Rionegro due to the presence of sea lions infected with bird flu, several cases have been detected in the San Blas Bay area in recent hours Suspicious deaths.

in conversation The new one.Veterinarian Mario Spiccoli confirmed this fact and announced that, due to the situation, an alert has been issued to the provincial governments (Buenos Aires and Rionegro), expected in the next few days , wildlife rangers and veterinarians on the island will be able to rely on the elements needed to conduct laboratory sampling and confirm or rule out cases.

“From Sunday, August 13 to Monday morning, I found three dead specimens, but there was nothing to suggest that this was anything out of the ordinary,” he said.

In addition to this, a young adult wolf passed the harbor near Tamarix a few days ago. “I went to see him and he was in good shape and he didn’t look too bad; a day later we went to the park ranger and we signaled, but the wolf didn’t change from the normal stranding,” he said.

“That same night, his condition changed. The next day, they reported a positive case of bird flu in Punta Bermeja, and I started paying attention there because I could see the cases drop,” says Spicoli added.

Faced with this situation, he contacted Senasa to inquire about abnormalities in some of the remaining animals and asked for samples to be collected, while the decomposing animals eventually died.

Due to logistical issues and the fact that it was a long weekend, samples could not be collected and were buried.

“Last week, between the Segunda Barranca lighthouse and Punta Rubia, about 12 dead sea lions were found, and we again had personal contact with Senasa and park rangers because the presumption was the same: bird flu. Anyway, given the logistical It was not possible to collect samples online, and the safe disposal of these animals was coordinated with personnel from the Patagones municipality,” the veterinarian asserted.

Since then, all parties involved have worked hard and spread the word about precautions, “because of the birds and the migration, which we’ve been doing since October last year.”

The professional said: “Whenever we come across a dead bird or a weakened penguin, we take the appropriate steps, use chin straps, boots, long shovels and bury them and sprinkle lime on top to cover them .”

In another order, in response to 12 wolves reported by neighbors, the San Blas monitoring team went to the lighthouse (about 40 kilometers south of San Blas) to investigate and found 7 dead wolves of different ages and genders. professional.

The found carcasses were marked as “able to plead the case, keep them in mind if new dead wolves emerge”.

“In addition to the aforementioned mammals, there are two that appear to be in a normal stranded state without any symptoms. On the other hand, there are three recovering wolves with symptoms consistent with those transmitted by Senasa,” Spicoli lists.

Health department calls for extreme biosecurity measures

The Patagones Health Secretariat recommends extreme biosecurity measures in view of the suspected death of sea lions in San Blas Bay and Villa Marceau VII due to the bird flu virus.

– If any animals or birds (sea lions, seagulls, penguins, etc.) are found sick or dead, avoid contact (keep close) and inform SENASA health authorities by phone: 1157005704.

– Do not enter the beach if dead or sick animals are found.

– Do not bring animals to the beach.

– Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer. (Patagonics Agency)