109 ducks, chickens and rheas dead!

By Anke Brod

Lützen – Drama and great consternation in the Lützen Animal and Adventure Park (Burgenlandkreis): The entire poultry population was killed there on Friday afternoon!

The reason for the simplest measure was a swan infected with bird flu. The disease broke out this week in the neighboring Saalekreis district.

The State Office for Consumer Protection and the Friedrich Loeffler Institute reported the positive findings to the Burgenland District Veterinary Office (BLK) on Friday. The latter initiated immediate measures to combat the animal disease.

According to the report, 109 animals were affected in Lützen, including farm animals such as ducks and chickens, but also rheas. After this sad act, the animals were “properly disposed of”.

Saxony-Anhalt
After the collapse in Dresden: What is the situation with the bridges in Saxony-Anhalt?

As BLK press spokesman Tobias Schlegel-Bittmann said when asked by TAG24, the zoo is now being cleaned and disinfected. After that, it must remain closed for at least another 21 days.

Background: At the beginning of the week, a citizen brought a sick swan there. The animal came from a pond in the Saalekreis. About two kilometers away, bird flu had previously broken out in Zöschen (Saalekreis). The affected swan subsequently died in the Lützen zoo.

The State Office for Consumer Protection and the Friedrich Loeffler Institute have recently confirmed that he was infected with the so-called “avian influenza”, i.e. bird flu.

The viral disease, also known as bird flu, is reportedly a highly contagious, rapidly progressing, acute and easily transmitted infection. In poultry stocks, it could lead to significant economic losses, according to the information. Infected stocks would have to be killed. Avian influenza is a notifiable disease.

The Burgenland district has now issued a housing requirement for poultry. This housing requirement applies to all private and commercial poultry keepers within a radius of three kilometers. In the Burgenland district, the core town of Lützen and the district of Meuchen are affected.