Lundi 18 septembre 2023 à 11h00, Olga Alexandrou – Society for the Protection of Prespa / Agios Germanos, Prespa, Greece – présentera un webinaire [1] intitulé :
Avian flu outbreak 2022 – a devastating impact on the Prespa Dalmatian pelican colony / Events, future challenges and lessons learned
Le webinaire sera en anglais avec une traduction simultanée en français.
Pour participer à ce séminaire à distance : https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85438742088 [2]
Résumé
The avian influenza outbreak of 2022 affected the Near Threatened Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus in most of its European range, but the effect on the Lesser (Mikri) Prespa Lake colony, in north-west Greece, the largest colony of the species on Earth, was devastating. 1,734 dead pelicans were recorded representing almost 60% of the colony. Several other colonies of the southeastern European range were also affected, with the total loss reaching 2,500 individuals. In total, 40% of the European population was lost, and circa 10% of the global population. Documentation of mortality, removal of carcasses and the mobilisation of authorities was challenging because of the large number of carcasses, difficult access, risks of personnel exposure, and the need to minimise disturbance to nesting pelicans. The lessons learned from the tragic losses are numerous, and so are future challenges. The lack of preparedness and planning for such massive phenomena, the deficiency in relevant scientific studies, shortages in equipment and an inability to manage events of such scale are some of the challenges manifested. The Society for the Protection of Prespa launched a wide ranging genetic and epidemiological research study in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, aiming at understanding the factors involved in the high vulnerability of the species to avian flu, in order to organise a better management of the risk for the species.
