CROATIAN STORKS TURN UP DEAD IN SOMALIA

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001465 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO DS/DSS, DS/IP, M/MED/JCTRIPLETT FAS/CMP/DLP WETZEL AND MAGGINNIS FAS/ITP/EAMED POMEROY AND FLEMING CA/OCS/ACS KIM CHRISTMAN USAID FOR E&E/ECA/B/ANNE CONVERY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO SENV ECON EAGR PREL CASC KFLU HR SUBJECT: CROATIAN STORKS TURN UP DEAD IN SOMALIA REF: ZAGREB 1241 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. SUMMARY. Some 50 Croatian-tagged white storks were found dead in Somalia in November, causing a brief panic over the possibility they brought avian influenza (AI) to the village of Elbaraf. The director of the Poultry Center in Zagreb said it is unlikely the birds died of avian influenza, after considering the facts related to their death and speaking with authorities. The director said the storks had been tagged and tested at their nesting grounds in Croatia and, at that time, all had tested negative for the H5N1 virus. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Dr. Vladimir Savic, director of the Poultry Center at the Croatian Veterinary Institute, contacted Econoff after learning that 51 birds bearing Croatian tags were found dead in Elbaraf, Somalia, in mid-November. Savic, who had already assured Croatian journalists there was no evidence of H5N1 virus present in the birds, said he also was in contact with authorities at the FAO to review the few facts available about the birds. ¶3. Savic confirmed the birds were white storks, indigenous to Croatia, and had been hatched in the village of Gusce about 64 km southeast of Zagreb. They were tagged there on June 23, 2006. He said there were about 10 stork pairs in the village plus some 90 pairs in neighboring villages. All of the young birds were tagged and sampled for AI testing in the Poultry Center lab. Savic said at that time, all results were negative. ¶4. Storks from Croatia normally migrate to South Africa, Savic said. Their route crosses Egypt and the Sudan, which is why he found the location of the dead storks puzzling. By the time the storks were seen in Somalia (November 15) they already should have arrived at their destination in South Africa. However, he explained that if the birds find an abundance of food (such as a locust swarm) along the route, they might remain there up to two months. Savic said he would count the storks returning from Africa to Croatia in the spring. ¶5. Residents of Elbaraf considered the storks an exotic bird and notified veterinarians, Savic said. They reported 52 exotic birds were observed drinking water in Elbaraf November 15. On November 16 the birds were unable to fly and had difficulty walking, locals reported, and 51 were found dead between November 16 and 20. The last bird, although missing, was believed to have died in the village as well. Apparently, by the time the veterinarians reached the village, the bird carcasses had been piled up and were already too decomposed to allow for testing. They were immediately burned. However, tags taken from the birds connected them to the Ornithological Institute in Zagreb. ¶6. Savic told Econoffs he concludes the storks did not die of avian influenza. Based on the fact that they died simultaneously, it was more likely their death was related to poisoning or bacteria picked up along the way. ¶7. There have been no new cases of avian influenza in Croatia since April. BRADTKE