Deadly virus taking toll on wild birds

Whereas the extremely contagious avian flu has worn out thousands and thousands of poultry birds throughout North America this 12 months, populations of water fowl, raptors and even crows and ravens are additionally probably seeing untold losses, say wildlife rescue organizations.

“All the birds we’re seeing are in areas the place people discover them, however there are rather more we most likely by no means see that die in distant areas,” stated Derek Downs, a chook and wildlife rehabilitator on the North Island Wildlife Restoration Centre in ­Errington.

“Now we have undoubtedly seen an uptick in sick birds this 12 months — geese, geese and swans.”

On the Mountain Avian Rescue Centre within the Comox Valley, chook rehabilitator Jyl Andersen stated about 50 birds stricken with the lethal flu virus have been introduced into the centre — some within the spring, however most throughout the fall migration.

That features geese, swans, gulls and a few eagles introduced in from the Comox Valley and Campbell River areas and as far-off as Salt Spring Island.

Most die inside 24 hours or should be euthanized.

“We’re seeing critical neurological signs not brought on by trauma or poisons,” stated Andersen. “They’re un-­co-ordinated, have cloudy eyes or discharges from their eyes and they’re in a really weakened state.

“There’s not a lot we are able to do for them … it’s very unhappy as a result of you’ll be able to see they’re struggling.”

The extremely contagious H5N1 virus has been spreading quickly from migratory birds to home flocks and wild scavengers equivalent to crows and eagles.

The avian flu has worn out an estimated 50.54 million birds in the USA this 12 months, making it the nation’s deadliest outbreak in historical past. The toll of chickens, turkeys and different birds tops the earlier file of fifty.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015.

In Canada, the poultry trade can also be seeing unprecedented demise tolls on home flocks, with the culling of 4.6 million turkeys, chickens and geese on 220 farms, together with 1.2 million culled birds in B.C. and one other 1.1 million in Alberta. Avian flu has hit each province besides Prince Edward Island.

As of Monday, B.C. has 60 farms with ongoing circumstances of avian flu, the best of any province. The virus was detected in six extra farms within the Fraser Valley over the previous three days.

Avian flu is unfold via contact with an contaminated chook or its feces or nasal or mouth secretions. Farm birds that go outdoors are most in danger as a result of they will are available in direct contact with contaminated wild birds or their feces.

People may also inadvertently carry the an infection right into a barn or a refuge centre on their sneakers or clothes.

The Canadian Meals Inspection Company stated no human circumstances have been detected in Canada and the sickness shouldn’t be thought of a major concern for wholesome people who find themselves not in common contact with contaminated birds.

Each the wildlife rescue centres on the Island say they’ve needed to change protocols at amenities to guard their resident birds recovering from accidents.

“It may be very difficult as a result of we’ve got to isolate the [avian flu] birds,” stated Andersen.

The centres have additionally needed to step up sanitizing and use of protecting clothes and gloves, and ask guests to put on shoe coverings.

Downes stated it’s typically troublesome to distinguish avian flu from lead poisoning and different contaminants, as a few of the signs are the identical.

He stated the Island is coming off a file drought the place low water ranges have opened new floor to forage in estuaries and lakes. Feces blended with meals sources, lead from shotgun shells and fishing weights, and different contamination will be ingested by waterfowl and raptors.

Downes stated the variety of sick swans and geese being dropped at the Errington centre has elevated, together with birds that keep over the winter.

“We see sure pathogens yearly, however this [strain] appears to be extra prevalent particularly within the water fowl,” he stated. “You take a look at the superb migration undertaken by these birds, the huge distances and the intermingling of particular person birds … they’ve a strong immune techniques that home flocks simply don’t have.”

The rescue centres are bagging the birds and sending them to a provincial wildlife lab in Abbotsford.

The Canadian Meals Inspection Company reported 1,484 confirmed circumstances of avian flu in wild birds throughout Canada as of Monday, together with 144 in B.C. Quebec has up to now had probably the most circumstances at 255, adopted by Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.

Theresa Burns, B.C.’s chief veterinarian, stated the numbers are probably a lot greater as a result of it’s unimaginable to find out what number of wild animals have died.

“For [avian flu] to be detected in a wild chook, first you must discover the carcass, then the carcass has to get submitted to the lab, then it needs to be examined. So, we think about that there’s many birds that could be dying that we’re not capable of detect.”

Ann Nightingale of Victoria’s Rocky Level Hen Observatory stated songbirds equivalent to sparrows and robins haven’t been affected by the avian flu pressure, however birds that scavenge equivalent to crows, ravens and vultures in addition to gulls and shore birds are a priority.

Anybody who finds a sick or lifeless wild chook is suggested to name the B.C. Wild Hen Morality Reporting Line (1-866-431-2473), which is collectively managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service and B.C. Wildlife Well being Program.

They advise not dealing with probably sick birds, and stated calls shall be answered on a precedence foundation as assets permit.

dkloster@timescolonist.com

— With recordsdata from The Canadian Press

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