Bird flu alarm: Two dead cranes in the Bad Dürkheim district!

Bird flu alarm: Two dead cranes in the Bad Dürkheim district!

A worrying first series of suspected cases of bird flu was registered in the Bad Dürkheim district. Two dead cranes were found in Esthal and Bobenheim am Berg, which tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 virus after samples were taken by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Investigation Office. However, confirmation from the national reference laboratory, the Friedrich Löffler Institute, is still pending. It is currently unclear whether the cranes are wild birds, which is why no mandatory measures or restriction zones have been ordered yet, reports the Rheinpfalz.

However, the alarm is not unfounded. Bird flu has been spreading increasingly in Germany since October 2025, especially as a result of bird migration, which particularly affects cranes. In recent days, the high mortality of cranes, massive deaths and positive tests for the H5N1 virus have reached alarming dimensions in several regions. According to Deutschlandfunk, over 1,000 cranes were found in a bird sanctuary in Brandenburg, while around 400,000 chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys have had to be culled due to outbreaks throughout the autumn, as ZDF reports.

The situation is tense. The veterinary office of the Bad Dürkheim district has informed the operators of seven larger poultry farms, which house several hundred to thousands of animals, about the highly necessary safety measures. These contain strict requirements to minimize the risk of infection of domestic and commercial poultry flocks. Those responsible are asked to keep their animals in the stable whenever possible. In particular, businesses with animals that are used to living outdoors are faced with the challenge of observing hardship regulations in order not to endanger animal welfare.

Safety precautions and precautions

The reports from the surrounding area are no less worrying. Cases of bird flu have also occurred in the Rhein-Pfalz district and the Südliche Weinstrasse district. In Edenkoben, 16 domestic geese died in private keeping, while in Bobenheim-Roxheim a dead Canada goose tested positive for H5N1. Authorities are urging pet owners to adhere to strict safety measures to prevent wider spread.

In order to control the spread of the virus, protection zones with a radius of three kilometers and surveillance zones with a radius of ten kilometers must be established in affected areas. The experience from Brandenburg and other federal states shows that if infections are suspected, affected flocks must be isolated and, in extreme cases, culled.

However, there are also bright spots: Virologist Martin Beer from the Friedrich Löffler Institute states that there is currently no significant risk of illness for people. To date, no H5N1 infections have been detected in people in the EU. However, caution is advised: people should avoid contact with dead birds to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

The ongoing bird flu outbreak is also having a high economic impact and increasing pressure on farmers. Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer is calling for increased precautions and coordinated action as well as an increase in compensation payments to support the affected farmers.

Citizens are called upon to actively contribute to the fight against bird flu. Further information on the topic can be found on the Bad Dürkheim district website.

It remains to be hoped for poultry farmers and the entire population that timely and responsible measures can prevent an even worse spread of bird flu and that the populations at risk can recover.