Bird flu kills thousands of cranes in Israel’s worst natural disaster

JERUSALEM, December 27 (Reuters) – An outbreak of bird flu has killed more than 5,000 migrating cranes in Israel, prompting authorities to declare a popular nature reserve closed to visitors and warn of a possible shortage of eggs while local poultry is slaughtered as a precaution.

“This is the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history,” Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg tweeted as rangers in hazmat suits scooped up crane carcasses from the lake in the nature reserve north of Hula and outlying marshes.

Hundreds of thousands of chickens have been slaughtered, she said.

Israeli media reported that children who visited the reserve may have touched an affected crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu. Authorities were seeking to import eggs from overseas and avoid an egg shortage due to slaughter, according to reports.

Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

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