Brett Gartrell

7.30 pm Tuesday, 15 September, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

HPAI poses a significant risk to the wildlife of Aotearoa. The virus has caused unprecedented mortality of wild birds throughout the world with recent detections in Aotearoa and Australia. Globally, hundreds of thousands of dead birds have been recorded from over 2,600 separate mortality clusters, with the actual number of birds affected estimated to be much higher. Deaths have been reported from every continent and outbreaks are slowly moving closer to Aotearoa. The virus has also spilled over into mammals causing deaths in cats, dogs, bears, foxes and skunks. Sustained mammalian transmission has now occurred in farmed mink in Spain, in dairy cows in the USA, and in elephant seals in South America. The number of human infections is fortunately very low but can be fatal. Our challenges will be to ensure that any disease management strategies protect the health of workers and volunteers, that affected animals are humanely killed and that bodies are disposed of safely. The tikanga of tangata whenua must also be considered in all wildlife interventions. It is likely there will be severe impacts on mental well-being of people involved in the response, even if their only option is to do nothing.

Professor Brett Gartrell is a wildlife veterinarian and has been the Director of the Wildbase Research Centre from its inception in 2002. Based at Massey University’s veterinary teaching hospital, Wildbase is New Zealand’s leading wildlife health and treatment facility.