About 245 pelican chicks and two dozen adult pelicans have died from H5N1 bird flu in Diawling National Park in Mauritania, the countries’ environment ministry said on Saturday.
The birds’ bodies were discovered in the park’s protected wetlands, where over 250 species of birds live. Authorities have closed the park and suspended all tourism activities in the area, the ministry said.
The deaths follow the discovery of 750 dead pelicans in Senegal’s Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary. They also died from bird flu type A H5N1.
Earlier in January, Senegal reported an outbreak of the virus on a bird farm in Thies, which led the government to kill over 100,000 chickens.
