mysterious slaughter of seabirds on the beaches

At least 3,500 seabirds have been found dead since May 26 on the beaches of northern Chile. According to the authorities, these deaths are not linked to avian flu. The causes of the carnage remain unknown for the time being. The affected birds are Bougainvillea cormorants, called guanay cormorants in South America, with black and white plumage.

Hundreds of corpses were collected from the beaches of Coquimbo, about 400 km north of the capital Santiago, by officials of the local Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG), a few meters from the many hotels, restaurants and casinos in this resort area.

There is “something happening in the sea” and who kills these birds, which dive into the ocean to catch their prey, said the director of the SAG of Coquimbo. Since December 2022, Chile has been hit hard by bird flu, which has already wiped out around 10% of its population of vulnerable Humboldt penguins and thousands of other birds.