In the past few days, sad news has come from the coast of Argentina: An outbreak of bird flu has begun to claim the lives of many sea lions. Last Friday, the National Agricultural Products Health and Quality Service (Senasa) announced that, 40 wolves sailor found dead Necochea (Province of Buenos Aires) They have fallen victim to the disease.Unfortunately, at the end of the week, new confirmed cases in Puerto Madryn and Mar del Plata.
The devastating outbreak has everyone stunned and worried about the health of this precious sea animal: scientists and conservationists off the coast of Uruguay are worrying about what might happen. Sea lion colonies at various locations in Uruguay are on the verge of outbreaks.
Richard Tesore, director of the NGO “SOS Fauna Marina”, told the newspaper observer He and others in the region are concerned about the outbreak. “In the Pacific, it’s spread everywhere and it’s hitting Argentina. The coast of Mar del Plata is a few kilometers off the coast of Uruguay,” Tesor explained.
respected environmentalist The way the virus spreads is thought to have mutated: At first, it spread to mammals only through infected birds, but now “it appears to be spreading from mammal to mammal as well.”
Uruguay begins testing sea lions
Uruguayan authorities have begun sampling marine mammals to monitor the possible arrival of the virus and pictures of symptoms. So far, 10 to 20 “dead or alive” samples washed up on Uruguayan beaches have been tested, Tesore said.
The person in charge of an environmental protection organization emphasized that it is very common to encounter such a situation. Lifeless sea lions on our shores.Sometimes this happens due to bad weather or consequences of fishing. However, uncertainty about the likelihood of these marine organisms contracting the disease has led to measures such as different swabs.
As of today, August 27, Uruguayan sea lions have not found a positive case of bird flu.