Every year, around half a million cranes land in Israel during their annual migration to warmer latitudes.
Many of them stop in the Huladalen in the northern parts of the country, something that has made the associated nature reserve a popular tourist destination.
Recently, however, tourists have been absent, after an outbreak of bird flu was found among the migratory birds.
Pictures from the reserve show how dead cranes float around in the water after falling victim to the disease.
To date, an estimated 5,000 birds have died, according to Israeli authorities.
Concerns that the disease will spread further have prompted the authorities to take action.
The reserve has been closed to visitors, while game wardens are working to collect dead and sick animals.
- We do not yet know how large the spread is when it comes to other wildlife or water sources.
This is a contagious disease that can also affect people, says the Israeli Minister of the Environment.
Hundreds of thousands of chickens are slaughtered
According to the news agency Reuters, the country's Prime Minister Naftali Bennet has met with security advisers and other experts to discuss the risk of the flu spreading to humans.
So far, however, no such cases have been found, the Prime Minister announces.
As a precautionary measure, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture has also decided that around half a million chickens in the immediate area will be slaughtered, reports AP.
The slaughter is in turn expected to lead to a shortage of eggs, which has led the authorities to look around for opportunities to step up imports.