Israel's Bird Flu Outbreak Is Man-Made And Cabinet Minister Is Worried

What is happening right now in the Hula Valley is a terrible disaster. Nearly 1,000 cranes are dying each day. Their bodies lie shriveled in the water.

Photo Insert: A migratory bird at the Hula Nature Reserve in Israel

Birds whose noble appearance drew hundreds of thousands of visitors now look totally helpless. Photos of the scene are very difficult to look at, Moshe Gilad reported for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The latest information is that 5,000 dead cranes were found this week at the Hula Nature Reserve, all of them killed by a bird flu outbreak. Gilad said greed for tourism income led to overfeeding and overcrowding of birds.

The reserve and Hula Lake have been closed to the public. Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg described it as “the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history.” The number of dead cranes is expected to double.

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