Cause of Wild Bird Die-Off Identified

In response to public concern regarding the recent die-offs of wild birds, primarily crows, over the past week, the Armenian National Center for Food Safety has initiated actions to locate and test several of these birds.

According to the Food Safety Inspection Body, several samples of the fallen birds have been located and submitted for examination thanks to the alerts and support from responsible citizens.

These samples underwent pathological-anatomical examination (necropsy), which revealed deep penetrating mechanical injuries in all samples examined, with some showing fractures of the skull and neck vertebrae, as well as bleeding from the beak. Since these injuries could also be caused by falls, an investigation for avian influenza was conducted using the PCR method to rule out the presence of the disease. Negative results were obtained, excluding avian influenza.

Research activities are ongoing.

Particularly, the heightened panic on social networks is unfounded, and there is no cause for concern.