Across the globe a particular strain of avian flu has been killing wild birds. Ranger Harriet Reid, who works for the National Trust on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, has seen first-hand the devastating effect the HN51 strain has had on Britain’s beautiful rare species. But it has also spread among domestic birds and led to real problems for farmers.
Now, the Guardian’s Phoebe Weston, a biodiversity reporter on the Age of Extinction project, tells Hannah Moore that this contagious strain has spread to far-flung areas. It is pushing some sea bird communities to the limit, with scientists worried about its effects on fragile ecosystems such as Antarctica.
More recently it has killed mammals, including mink and sea lions. Could it mutate to spread to humans? And how prepared would we be if bird flu became the next global pandemic?
