Bird flu kills sea lions and thousands of pelicans in Peru's protected areas

A sick pelican sits next to a dead one, on the shores of the river Camana after Peruvian authorities recorded first cases of bird flu in November 2022, in Camana, Peru, December 2, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda

Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of birds, mostly pelicans, and at least 716 sea lions in protected areas across Peru, the authorities said, as the H5N1 strain spreads throughout the region.

Peru recorded its first case of the virus in November in birds in the north of the country. Since then it has killed 63,000 birds, according to government data.