EARLY tests indicate that the recent mass death of thousands of seabirds along Chile’s northern coast were not caused by avian flu, authorities said yesterday.
Some 3,500 Guanay cormorants – once known as the “billion dollar bird” for their connection to the European fertiliser industry – have been found dead since May 26 near the coastal port of Coquimbo, according to Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG).