- The outbreak of Avian Flu among Western Cape wild seabirds appears to be under control.
- Weekly deaths have dropped to around 400 a day from about 700.
- The Department of Environmental Affairs welcomed the improvement.
The outbreak of Avian Influenza among wild seabirds in the Western Cape appears to be under control with the numbers of dead birds declining, the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs said on Friday.
MEC Anton Bredell said teams have been seeing on average 400 dead birds per day over the past few days.
"This has come down from roughly 700 at the start of this outbreak. It's still not great, but we are grateful for any improvement," Bredell said.
READ | Avian flu outbreak hits Western Cape sea birds, public warned not to touch them
The worst affected area continues to be the Dyer Island breeding colony.
Deaths there have halved from around 500 a day.
The Cape Cormorant species is the most affected and residents are have been asked to report sightings to the Disaster Management Centre, the SPCA or the NSPCA, and are warned not to touch the birds.
The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds stated that the H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza was detected in wild birds in the Western Cape in May 2021, mainly affecting gulls.
The first Cape cormorants were diagnosed in mid-September.
