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Bird flu horror in Linum: Cranes die like in a zombie film!
Märkisch-Oderland: Bird flu outbreak in Linum endangers cranes and poultry, while 130,000 animals had to be killed.
Bird flu horror in Linum: Cranes die like in a zombie film!
In the small, idyllic village of Linum, which is located in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district in Brandenburg, people are currently struggling with a quiet but threatening reality. Regine Scholz-Berg, the operator of the “Linumer Landhof”, describes the situation as surreal, almost like in a zombie film. The reason: an untypical silence due to looming cases of bird flu, which have cost the lives of large numbers of the cranes that normally like to rest here. Hundreds of dead cranes have been discovered in the Linum pond area, and it is estimated that over 1,000 animals have already fallen victim to this virus, according to the current Berliner Newspaper reported.
The town of Linum is a popular destination for amateur ornithologists. But in the last few days all tours have been canceled, which has had a major impact on visitor numbers. Kristin Garner, the station manager of the "Storchenschmiede", puts it in a nutshell: "It's simply humiliating. We don't have a single visitor anymore, the entire region is suffering." In another drastic step, stable requirements were introduced in many parts of Brandenburg to prevent the spread of the dangerous H5N1 virus.
Development of bird flu in Brandenburg
Avian influenza has spread throughout Brandenburg. In the Märkisch-Oderland district, 130,000 ducks and chickens have already had to be killed. What is particularly worrying is that the risk of further spread increases due to the birds' autumn migration. The district administrator of Ostprignitz-Ruppin has indicated that he would declare a disaster in the event of further escalation. This reflects the concerns that other districts also have, including Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt, which have now also reported dead cranes.
The authority assumes that tens of thousands of cranes rest in Brandenburg, around 6,900 in Linum alone, which further complicates the situation. In addition, several geese populations have to be massively reduced due to infection with H5N1, according to Tagesspiegel.
Volunteers, like Fulvio Kudernatsch, are active on site and collect the carcasses of the dead birds. By Saturday evening there were already around 1,900 carcasses in Linum, many of which had already been gnawed by scavengers. Mathias Perschall, mayor of Fehrbellin, is also on site and helps with collection. “These are images that you can’t get out of your head,” says Perschall. The fears and concerns of local residents are deeply rooted, not only for wild birds, but also for their own poultry farming.