Death of 11,000 Migratory Birds in Miankaleh Wetland “Due to Botulism Toxin”

After examining various possibilities, Iran’s Veterinary Organization announced that the cause of death of thousands of migratory birds in Miankaleh Wetland was poisoning. Environmental authorities in Mazandaran had declared the cause of bird deaths unknown about a month earlier.

The death of migratory birds in the international Miankaleh Wetland is not a new issue, and there has been much speculation about its cause; ranging from deliberate poisoning of the wetland water by illegal hunters to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday, March 9, citing the country’s Veterinary Organization, that the cause of death of thousands of migratory birds in Miankaleh Wetland was poisoning by botulism toxin.

The organization states that from the beginning of this year until March 1, more than 11,000 migratory birds died in Miankaleh Wetland, and after examining “all hypotheses” in reference laboratories and applied research studies, it was determined that these birds were poisoned by botulism toxin.

One of the ways botulism toxin is produced in wetlands and stagnant waters is through bacterial interactions in plant species such as algae under conditions of severe oxygen depletion.

The Veterinary Organization states that field research shows that 94 percent of dead birds were of the avocet species, 3.5 percent were flamingos, and the rest were from 20 different species.

“100 Percent” Confirmation of Botulism and Denial of Other Causes

The report states that examination of “environmental factors, estimated time of occurrence, species involved, age and sex of affected birds, number of sick and dead birds, at-risk population, characteristics of the affected area, as well as analysis of field data collected from the site” indicates that the primary cause of high mortality in Miankaleh Wetland birds is “100 percent” the “heat-sensitive biotoxin (botulism).”

Ali Safar Makkamali, head of the Veterinary Organization of the country, emphasizes that the organization’s latest tests show that the death of migratory birds in Miankaleh was not due to highly pathogenic avian influenza, Newcastle disease, or the presence of heavy metals, and these factors are ruled out.

According to IRNA, in 2019, more than 50,000 migratory birds died in the international Miankaleh Wetland due to what was described as botulism toxin poisoning. Based on this, migratory bird losses in the first 11 months of this year have been significantly lower than last year.

Doubt Regarding Veterinary Organization’s Theory

Despite the Veterinary Organization’s emphasis on definitively determining the cause of migratory bird deaths, some experts and environmental activists accuse authorities of covering up the real cause and consider botulism toxin poisoning unlikely.

Esmail Kahram, an environmental activist, in May of this year, referring to the history of toxin being dumped in the wetland by illegal hunters, told the “Rokna” website that authorities are “solving and covering up the issue” using botulism toxin as an excuse to avoid involving police, intelligence, and courts.

Hamayun Khoshroavan, director of an international project studying the impact of Caspian Sea fluctuations on the environment of coastal areas, stated at the same time to the “Aftab” website that given the fundamental difference in habitat between flamingos and avocets, accepting poisoning from botulism toxin for both species is not believable.

Khoshroavan stated: “In the flamingo habitat, there is no algae at all that would die, become keratin, or have its shell decomposed to produce botulism toxin.”

This expert does not believe that pouring toxin into water is the cause of migratory bird deaths and says that if this hypothesis were correct, we should also witness severe death of aquatic animals, something that has not occurred on a large scale this year.

One of the issues that most environmental activists agree on is the role of interference by institutions and influential individuals in protected areas, land use change, incorrect policies, and neglect of the requirements for protecting such areas.

One manifestation of the ineffectiveness of government policies in environmental protection is the drying up of Gorgan Bay in Golestan Province. This bay and Miankaleh Wetland were registered as international protected areas in 1975.

Source: DW