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A major bird park in northern Senegal has been closed to the public after the mysterious deaths of at least 750 pelicans, an initial analysis ruling out avian flu.
A patrol of the national bird reserve of Djoudj found “740 juvenile pelicans and 10 adults” dead on January 23, said the Ministry of the Environment.
The ministry added that it had ordered “autopsies on the spot” and that samples had been sent for analysis.
Meanwhile, pelican bodies and their rubbish have been destroyed and public access, including canoe trips through the park’s waterways, have been suspended.
The ornithological reserve has been a UNESCO heritage site since 1981 and is a major attraction of green tourism for Senegal.
Mixture of wetlands, savannah, canals, marshes and lakes nestled in the Senegal River delta, Djoudj is home to more than three million individual birds of nearly 400 species.
Authorities have already ruled out bird flu as a potential cause of the unusual pelican death, as a recent outbreak on a farm in western Senegal was deemed contained.
“Avian flu only affects birds that eat grain. But pelicans eat fish. We cannot say that this disease is at work,” National Parks Director Bocar told AFP. Thiam.
“We will have to wait for the results of the analysis which will be available in four days,” he added.
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