Israel is scrambling to contain what authorities call the deadliest wildlife disaster in the country's history, as a bird flu outbreak strikes the northern part of the nation.
At least 5,200 migratory cranes have been killed, with farmers forced to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens.
The situation is still not under control, Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said.
"Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so it's difficult for them to be taken out," Naveh said Monday.
Workers were removing bird carcasses as fast as they could, as there are concerns they would potentially infect other wildlife, said Yaron Michaeli, spokesman for the Hula Lake park, where most of the crane population is located.
Tel Aviv University Professor of Zoology Noga Kronfeld Shor said there have already been carcasses of other birds, like pelicans and egrets, that were discovered, according to The Daily Beast.
"The extent of the damage is still unclear," Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg tweeted.
This situation is "the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country," Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg said.
There have been no Israelis reported to have been infected with the bird flu, but those exposed are taking the antiviral Tamiflu, The Daily Beast reported.
Dafna Yurista, spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.
About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind, Michaeli said. This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.
Michaeli said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.
Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago.
Michaeli said the death toll among cranes appears to have stabilized in recent days.
"This is a good sign," he said. "They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said officials from the agriculture, environment, and health ministries were monitoring the situation. There was no immediate information about infections among people, it said.
The cleanup is going more slowly than expected. "We are trying to see if there's any other solutions," Naveh said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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