African swine fever has been confirmed as the cause of death for approximately fifty wild boars discovered in Barcelona’s Collserola Natural Park since the outbreak began.
The grim discovery was confirmed by the head of the Rural Agents, Josep Antoni Mur, who stated that nine cases have tested positive for the disease so far.
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Consequently, a major containment operation involving hundreds of personnel is now underway to prevent further spread.
African Swine Fever Triggers Major Containment Effort
Approximately four hundred personnel are involved in the emergency response. This includes Rural Agents, Mossos d’Esquadra, the Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME), and the Guardia Civil. Furthermore, firefighters have joined the operation to disinfect rural paths in Cerdanyola and Sant Cugat. The primary objective is to contain the virus within a designated six-kilometre radius of the initial outbreak site.
Mur explained that the worst-case scenario would be the disease spreading north towards Matadepera. “There is an exit route towards Matadepera, which is the worst scenario,” he stated. “It would open the disease to the centre of Catalonia.” Authorities estimate around a thousand wild boars inhabit this critical six-kilometre zone.
Experts from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission are now on-site. They are assessing the situation to determine which control methods the operation can legally employ. Meanwhile, the Rural Agents have prepared trapping systems but await official approval from Spanish and European authorities before deployment.
The emergency measures are extensive. A total access ban is in place for the infected zone, alongside the suspension of all hunting and forestry work. Additionally, physical and chemical barriers have been installed at wildlife crossings under major roads like the AP-7, C-58, and C-16 to prevent boar movement. This outbreak highlights the complex challenges of managing urban-natural interfaces in a densely populated metropolitan area.
In the surrounding surveillance zone, leisure and biodiversity-related activities have been severely limited. The Generalitat has activated these stringent biosecurity protocols to protect both wildlife and the region’s agricultural sector. The situation remains fluid as officials work to control this significant animal health crisis.
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