Idaho Fish & Game Aware of Numerous Wild Bird Die-Offs Related to Avian Influenza (aka Bird Flu). What to Do. What Not to Do. Don’t Panic! (12/11/24, posted 01/02/24)
Copied from the Idaho Fish & Game press release (emphasis is ours):
Avian influenza remains a threat to wild birds across Idaho, and Idaho Fish and Game is aware of several locations reporting cases of wild bird die-offs, including.
Unfortunately, the disease will have to run its course in most instances. Fish and Game personnel cannot respond to all cases of infected wild birds, but staff are actively working to pick up carcasses of birds in areas with the largest number of dead waterfowl.
“We are aware that sick and dead wild geese are currently being reported by the public in the Lake Lowell, Parma, and Fort Boise areas of the Treasure Valley, and we estimate the number of dead birds to be in the thousands,” said Fish and Game’s Wildlife Health Program Coordinator Stacey Dauwalter. “Fish and Game staff are working hard to remove the dead birds, as that is the best option we have to reduce impacts of avian influenza.”
According to Fish and Game Migratory Game Bird Coordinator Jeff Knetter, mortality events like this are currently widespread.
“Groups of dead light geese – which include blue, snow, Ross’s geese – have been discovered as far east as Indiana and Tennessee and as far south as Louisiana and Texas,” Knetter said. “While unfortunate, several thousand light geese dying in a mortality event does not present population level concerns; the number of birds impacted is a very small proportion of the overall population which exceeds a million birds.”
What to do (and not to do)
Leave them alone.. Live birds showing signs of illness should be left alone. Moving sick birds may spread the disease farther. (Wildlife rehabilitation centers are not taking in sick birds.)
Dispose of dead birds in the trash to prevent other animals from contacting or consuming them.
Use gloves and a mask, and place them in a double-bagged trash bag.
Wash your hands after handling birds.
Report sick or dead wild bird observations on Fish and Game’s website (idfg.idaho.gov/conserva…) to assist avian influenza surveillance efforts.
Domestic birds and poultry are susceptible to dying once exposed to avian influenza. Avian influenza is transmitted between birds through:
Close contact (mucous), fecal matter, and sometimes through the air.
Also carried on objects such as tools, vehicles, clothes, and boots, which can transfer the virus from one location to another.
Spread to humans is rare and generally mild: Bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans; however, sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred. Symptoms may include conjunctivitis, fever, lethargy, aches, coughing, or diarrhea.
Resources:
Hunters: aphis.usda.gov/sites/de…
Domestic Poultry Owners:
USDA APHIS | Defend the Flock Program: aphis.usda.gov/livestoc…
Idaho State Department of Agriculture: agri.idaho.gov/animals/…
Covid Essential Links
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