Bird flu caused mass death of mute swans in Mangistau region

The reason of the mass death of swans on the Lake Karakol in Mangistau region of Kazakhstan announced as bird flu by the National Reference Center for Veterinary. The examinations on pathological material samples which were sent to the center, they appeared it was the bird flu, Turanews.kz reports citing Kazinform Agency.

Lake Karakol acts as one of the resting and refueling zones for migrating mute swans, which inhabit almost all the territory of Kazakhstan.

According to local authorities, as many as 10,000 swans choose Lake Karakol for waiting out winter.

The Veterinary Control Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture has already sent 18,644 doses of vaccine to prevent spread of bird flu in poultry and other captive birds in Mangistau region.

It was stated that the corps of dead swans were found December 19 on the shore of Lake Karakol in Mangistau region. Blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev was the first who shared a distressing video of the swan bodies floating in the waters of the lake.