Wellington, July 16 (IANS) A newly detected strain of H5N1 avian influenza is likely to become endemic in New Zealand within months, after the country recorded its first case in a wild seabird, a senior veterinary official said on Thursday.Ministry for Primary Industries’ Chief Veterinary Officer Mary van Andel told Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that eradication would be unlikely if the virus establishes in wildlife, reports Xinhua news agency.The H5 virus was confirmed Wednesday in a seabird found on…
Latest Department of Conservation News & Updates
Wellington, Jan 6 (IANS) New Zealand’s critically endangered kakapo is entering its first breeding season in four years, raising hopes for what could be the largest hatching on record.Remote monitoring detected mating activity beginning on December 29, signalling the official start of the rare parrot’s breeding season, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said in a statement on Tuesday.”This year it feels especially long-awaited after such a big gap since the last season in 2022,” said DOC Kakap…