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Nearly 400 storks found dead near Madrid, victims of avian flu
Some 400 storks were found dead, victims of avian flu, along a river in the Madrid region, local authorities announced Tuesday, adding that they will conduct further tests to determine the severity of the virus.
Belga
Agency
Published on 09-12-2025 at 17:15
in Madrid, Spain
"The Community of Madrid is carrying out further analyses after the discovery of a large number of storks found dead on the banks of the Manzanares River" in the municipality of Getafe, in the greater Madrid area, the region said in a statement.
Although authorities detected a low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) outbreak a few days ago, they now suspect, "in the face of the appearance of a large number of deceased individuals", the presence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The Madrid region explains that it is "now awaiting the results of the samples sent to the laboratory (...) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food".
"If the results of high pathogenicity are confirmed," surveillance measures would be strengthened, the statement said.
"This flu could be transmitted to humans through mucous membranes, with an effect similar to that of seasonal flu, although in Europe no cases of transmission through direct contact have been observed. It cannot be contracted through the consumption of poultry products."
In total, more than 200 outbreaks of avian influenza have already been identified in poultry farms in Europe this season, a higher level than in previous years, although it remains far from the thousands of farms hit during the last epizootic peak in 2022 with tens of millions of poultry slaughtered.
https://www.lalibre.be/dernieres-de...la-grippe-aviaire-AFLCUYKHSVFVZBERUFIPFZO7SY/
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AVIAN FLU
An undeclared outbreak of avian flu leaves hundreds of storks dead in the Manzanares River.
The Community of Madrid maintains that it is a case of low pathogenicity about which it is not obliged to report, while firefighters and forest rangers have spent four days removing animal carcasses
Jacobo Garcia
Hundreds of dead storks have appeared between Thursday and Saturday in the Manzanares River, near Perales del Río and La Marañosa, in the municipality of Getafe. Both banks of the river presented a desolate sight since Wednesday, when local police raised the alarm after spotting a large number of carcasses floating in the water.
“What we saw was horrific,” summarizes one of the firefighters who has been in the water these past few days rescuing storks, but who prefers to remain anonymous. “I pulled out about 250 dead storks. The previous shift pulled out between 50 and 100, and the next day another 100,” he explains. “It was a dreadful sight. Most of the storks had died in recent days, but others were decomposing or had been bitten by other animals,” he adds. Faced with such images, the Government of the Community of Madrid remains silent, although sources within the regional ministry confirmed to this newspaper that it is an outbreak of avian flu.
The order given to the firefighters of Arganda, with the support of those from Aranjuez and Alcalá de Henares, was to remove any birds that appeared in the water, leave them on the banks of the river, and the forest rangers would take care of removing them, and this is what happened on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The firefighters' fear stems from the fact that they don't know the results of the tests performed. Although they use official Tyvek suits, similar to the PPE used by healthcare workers, there is no follow-up on those who have been in contact with the birds, nor is there any certainty about what measures have been implemented beyond removing the animals.
The Environment Department of the Community of Madrid indicates that the analyses confirmed that it is "an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza, which does not require informing the ministry."
On its website, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food differentiates between high and low pathogenicity avian flu cases . However, its description does not coincide with the diagnosis made by the regional government. According to the ministry, a low pathogenicity outbreak “causes mild illness” in the animal, for which it “goes unnoticed, even without presenting symptoms.” In contrast, highly pathogenic avian influenza “causes severe clinical signs and high mortality rates,” as is the case in the Manzanares River. The photographs show dozens of animals piled up and scattered on both sides of the river.
The Community of Madrid states that, in the face of an avian flu outbreak, for which it does not distinguish between high and low pathogenicity, “the risk of contagion in the general population is very low. Transmission to humans of a strain of the avian flu virus (H5N1) has only been observed in very exceptional cases, following close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, as it has shown very little efficiency in transmitting from birds to people.” This explanation, however, does not convince those who have been in contact with the animals and who have spoken out: “Hundreds of stork carcasses have been collected, and the staff has not been officially informed of the test results, despite this being a highly sensitive intervention due to the biological risk involved,” denounces Israel Naveso, from the firefighters' union. Naveso claims that the protocol requires monitoring those who participate in these tasks, and he does not know what is being done with the mountain of collected storks.
The Community of Madrid responds that they are taken to an incinerator in Colmenar Viejo, although some experts recommend using quicklime for these cases.
Just as oblivious to the scale of the problem as the firefighters is the Getafe City Council, which was the first to raise the alarm and has received no official information whatsoever about the results of the tests carried out. On Friday, Mayor Sara Hernández sent a letter to Regional Minister Carlos Novillo expressing her concern, but so far there has been no response. The area where most of the storks have appeared is next to a bike path and is a popular spot for walkers with their dogs.
Both the regional government and the local authorities in Getafe believe that the proximity of the Valdemingómez incinerator may be behind a massive outbreak of bird infections.
Avian influenza in storks, acting as vectors, is an increasingly common problem in Spain, spreading across the Iberian Peninsula as rapidly as the birds themselves. In August, a case of avian influenza was detected in a stork in Girona. A month later, at the end of September, several cases were detected in Doñana National Park, and in November, the discovery of 20 dead storks in Córdoba triggered widespread alarm. Now, hundreds more have appeared in just a few days, without any official statement. The environmental organization Ecologistas en Acción in Getafe has demanded explanations from the City Council and the Community of Madrid.
Avian flu has become one of the specters haunting the Spanish food industry. In recent years, outbreaks and infections of avian influenza A (H5N1) have multiplied, affecting and causing the death of numerous domestic and wild birds in multiple areas, including Antarctica.
Last month, the Community of Madrid had to cull nearly half a million chickens to control the largest outbreak of avian flu and the first in poultry recorded in the region this year. The outbreak originated at a laying hen farm in Valdemoro, where more than €800,000 was spent to control this highly contagious and deadly disease. The company Tragsatec was responsible for carrying out the work, halting the spread of the influenza throughout the Madrid region and its surrounding areas. The contract included the destruction, disinfection, and burial of the nearly half a million chickens at this large-scale farm in Valdemoro, according to the Regional Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and the Interior.
Spain has become one of the continent's hotspots for the spread of avian flu. From summer to November, around 14 outbreaks were detected on poultry farms, affecting more than 2.5 million animals, including those culled and those that died. The hardest-hit regions are Castile and León, Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura, Madrid, and other areas where wild bird migration routes converge. The situation is close to being brought under control, but its effects have caused significant losses for producers and driven up the price of eggs, which has risen by 22% in the last year and is the food item that has seen the largest price increase in Spain.
https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/20...os-de-ciguenas-muertas-en-el-manzanares.html
