Israeli media reported that children visiting the park may have touched the cracked crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu.
Outbreaks of bird flu have killed more than 5,000 migratory cranes in Israel, prompting authorities to announce a popular nature reserve for tourists and warn of possible egg shortages as local chickens are killed as a precautionary measure.
“This is the worst impact on wildlife in the country’s history,” Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg wrote on Twitter as bodyguards dressed in dangerous suitcases collected cave corpses in the northern lake Hula Nature Reserve and outdoor wetlands.
Hundreds of thousands of chickens have been killed, he said.
Israeli media reported that children visiting the park may have touched the cracked crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu. Authorities have been monitoring the importation of eggs to curb egg shortages as a result.