Dozens of White Pelicans Die in Diawling Reserve

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development on Saturday evening, of which a copy was sent to the Mauritanian news agency (AMI), large numbers of White Pelicans have died in the Diawling National Reserve and the adjacent areas.

The statement affirmed that urgent measures had been taken according to which the reserve was closed to visitors, committees were formed to follow up the issue, and the safe disposal of dead birds began, while an awareness-raising campaign was launched to keep the residents safe.

The statement added that within the framework of the activities of the RBTDS Biosphere Reserve, consultation and exchange of information is underway between the managers of the two national reserves of Diawling and Djoudj about this phenomenon, as it was found that it is related to bird flu (Influenza, Type A, subtype H5N1) according to the preliminary results of laboratory analyzes.

The Ministry called on the local population to be careful not to touch the bodies of dead wild birds and poultry, and to inform the concerned services in case of suspicion of infection of birds or when noticing their death.