Wildlife hospital WildCare announced it is closing its museum to visitors and implementing stricter controls on Friday to protect animal patients from a deadly influenza that’s spreading around Northern California.
The virus, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, is not a high risk to humans. But it’s highly contagious and deadly amongst bird populations like raptors, corvids, vultures, water fowl and pelagic birds.
HPAI spreads through fine liquid drops in the air, via body fluids and even from people running into an infected bird. The rescue service said domestic birds like chickens, ducks and turkeys are also at risk of dying from this virus.
WildCare said millions of birds have already fallen ill to the disease across the country. Bird populations in Sacramento and Sonoma County have already been found with HPAI, and the hospital expects the virus to pop up in Marin County any day.
The rescue service will continue to admit sick wildlife, though new patients will be placed in outdoor enclosures to prevent potential spread to others patients. Their ambassador animals, used to educate the public on wildlife conservation, are now relocated into protective enclosures and into volunteers’ homes.
WildCare recommends poultry owners to change clothes frequently and prevent their birds from interacting with wildlife. It also reminds the public to take down bird feeders to prevent the risk of spread.
The public can continue to bring wildlife into WildCare’s facilities. More information on intake protocols can be found at discoverwildcare.org/HPAI.
I have never seen a situation where “people run into infected birds”. I thought birds flew in the air and people traversed the ground. This must be one of those new science things. So what’s the plan for the birds? Vaccine and mask mandates? Or are they to stay in their nests to slow the spread? Hopefully we can keep them from congregating on the phone wires as to not create super spreader events. Will the seagulls be given tickets for being at the beach? Will the worm hole refuse service to the unvaccinated? We need to flatten this curve people. We need to shut this virus down.
“And you can fly
High as a kite if you want to
Faster than light if you want to
Speeding through the universe
Thinking is the best way to travel”- Moody Blues
If an infection is found on a poultry farm, health authorities will order all the birds to be culled.
That’s one reason why (in addition to inflationary pressures) chicken and egg prices have shot up so much this year.
Plan accordingly.
You heard it here first before John Ramos reported what I said.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/highly-contagious-bird-flu-outbreak-has-wildlife-centers-scrambling-to-isolate-birds/
@nytemuvr….That song is a trip with headphones on.
Now I’m wondering if all other birds can be infected.
Like crows, sparrows, scrub jay, parrots, love birds …. etc.
Corvids are the crow family, so the crows and jays yes. The rest are different families not listed.
From Google:
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers.