In June, in the Gulf of Morbihan, I prepared a report on the emblematic bird of this corner of paradise: the common tern (read here). And now, over the summer, from the Rhuys Peninsula to the Glenan Archipelago, various tern species have been wiped out by a strain of bird flu. Association Brittany is alive talks about “years of conservation efforts that have been destroyed.”

I have witnessed the keen attention of enthusiasts to allow these birds to reproduce despite the pressure of human activity. I imagine their disappointment and sadness at the end of this murderous summer.

“Birds, what then? Shouldn’t we reserve tears for other purposes?” some will think. The problem is that this epizootic is getting dangerously close to us humans. “Bird flu viruses usually spread between birds. But the increasing number of H5N1 cases in mammals, which are biologically closer to humans than birds, raises concerns that the virus is more easily adapting to infect humans,” said three international organizations, including the World. The Health Organization (WHO) warned last July.

The International Avian Influenza Scientific Working Group has clearly identified the place of origin of this highly pathogenic form of the disease: the industrial poultry farming system. And not wild birds, as we sometimes hear. Words that only carry the consequences of our crazy consumption of the earth into the sky.