Tens of thousands of turkeys are being destroyed in Israel, as it tries to contain a serious avian flu outbreak.
More than 5,000 migratory cranes have already died at the Hula Nature Reserve, which Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg called "the worst blow to wildlife" in Israel's history.
Local farmers were also being forced to cull half a million chickens, prompting fears of a possible egg shortage.
So far no transmission of the A(H5N1) virus to humans has been reported.
However, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met his national security adviser and other experts on Monday to discuss efforts to stop that from happening.
People who have been in close contact with infected birds are being given preventative treatment.
Although transmission from birds to humans is a rare event, the deaths of 456 people infected with the virus have been reported worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Comments