Avian Flu Threatens Pelican Population on Montenegrin Lake

Pelicans on Skadar Lake in Montenegro. Photo: PR Centar

Bojan Zekovic of the Centre for the Study and Protection of Birds, CRZP, said that 15 pelicans at the lake had died since the first case of avian flu was registered in Montenegro in April 6.

Lake Skadar, which straddles the border between Montenegro and Albania, is home to 280 species of bird, many of which are classified as endangered or threatened. The Dalmatian pelican, which has become a symbol of the Lake Skadar National Park, is endangered from poaching and infection.

"The loss of pelicans for our country would be immeasurable, and their survival is priceless," said Zekovic. "We expect all relevant institutions to take this issue seriously, in order to reduce expansion to the lowest possible level."

"So far, authorities have been focused on poultry protection. But pelicans should be also protected, as one of the symbols of Skadar Lake National Park."

State has 'obligation' to act

Following outbreaks in Albania and Greece, Montenegro's agriculture ministry said on April 6 that the first case of avian flu had been registered on Skadar Lake and ordered farms across the country to enclose all poultry.

Avian flu, sometimes called bird flu, is a type of influenza that spreads rapidly among birds and can, in rare cases, pass from birds to people following close, prolonged contact.

In March, Albania said that the region around the port city of Durres had become the epicenter of an outbreak of H5N8 avian flu that had killed some 340,000 chickens. That followed an announcement in Greece that the flu had struck Prespa National Pelican in the northwest, with mortality among pelicans at some 60 per cent.

There are some 300 Dalmatian pelicans on...