Two H5N1 HPAI Crows Erie County Ohio

[niman]

 

According to Heather Tuttle, the hospital director at Back to the Wild, the birds had contracted a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza or H5N1, which is easily transmittable and can be deadly to birds of prey including eagles, owls and hawks as well as scavenger birds such as crows and gulls.

 

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/animals/2022/04/04/avian-influenza-taking-toll-on-birds-of-prey/stories/20220403065

Edited April 5, 2022 by niman

[Admin]

Avian influenza taking toll on birds of prey

 

 

 

 

 

APR 4, 2022

 

9:00 AM

In early March, ten bald eagles died shortly after arriving for care at a rehabilitation and nature education center in Castalia, Ohio.

The eagles were brought to the center, Back to the Wild, which cares for over 1,000 sick and orphaned wild animals annually. In addition to the eagles, a goose and a herring gull were also brought to the center for care around the same time and those birds also died shortly after arriving. Wildlife officers also found multiple dead eagles in the surrounding area, which is known for its eagle population.

According to Heather Tuttle, the hospital director at Back to the Wild, the birds had contracted a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza or H5N1, which is easily transmittable and can be deadly to birds of prey including eagles, owls and hawks as well as scavenger birds such as crows and gulls.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

“All of them died within hours of being admitted, there was just not much we could do. The first bird came in on February 28 and the rest came in the three weeks after that, but it’s been pretty quiet the last week or so, so we are keeping our fingers crossed,” Ms. Tuttle said.

 

Matt Markey

Outdoors: Biggest Week festival looks to be biggest yet

Just as virus strains impact humans in different ways, the same happens in animals. In this case, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds often carry the virus without getting sick from it, but they spread it to other birds, which do become sick, said Laura Zitzelberger, co-founder of Nature’s Nursery, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Whitehouse. Each year, Nature’s Nursery admits over 3,700 native wild animals from an 18 county region and nearly 50 percent of those animals are birds.

“That makes it a little trickier because we don’t know what waterfowl are infected, but when they infect other birds, they tend to die from it,” she said. “There’s so much we still don’t know about it, but we are kind of being given the impression that we may be in this for the long haul.”

Spring is a busy time for intakes at Nature’s Nursery and last year over 400 waterfowl were brought to the facility for care with a majority being baby ducks. This year, because of the virus, all waterfowl in need of care will be treated as if they are infected, which means they will be quarantined. The Toledo Metroparks will assist with the additional space needed and the birds that do not show signs of being sick will be released, while those showing signs of being sick will be euthanized, said Ms. Zitzelberger.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infected birds can spread the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with the virus as it is shed by infected birds. They also can become infected through contact with surfaces that are contaminated with virus from infected birds.

Poultry farmers are especially concerned as the virus is lethal to chickens and can easily spread due to the close proximity the animals are kept. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the virus has been found in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in 13 states, including Ohio.

 

In a written statement, Jim Chakeres, executive vice president of the Ohio Poultry Association, said that Ohio’s egg, chicken and turkey farmers are monitoring the situation closely and doing everything possible to prevent the virus spread.

“Our farms remain in a heightened state of biosecurity and disease prevention practices, including limiting on-farm visitors and vehicles,” Mr. Chakeres said. “Caring for our flocks is our responsibility, and we will remain at those increased levels of flock protection for the foreseeable future.”

The bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans and cannot be transmitted through meat or eggs, according to the CDC.

The virus is not new in the United States, as an outbreak occurred eight years ago, but it is new to Ohio, said Ms. Tuttle, who added that Ohio has a rigorous testing protocol to continue monitoring the bird population.

“It’s been a while since we have dealt with it in North America. You do see it a little more in countries that have different farming practices, where there is not as much emphasis on sanitation,” she said.

She has cared for many animals from the Erie County rehabilitation center, where eagles thrive because of its location along the Lake Erie shores and ample marshland supporting their desired habitat. Erie County is the third densely populated area for eagles in Ohio, followed by Ottawa and Sandusky Counties, which lead the state for eagle population.

The loss of eagles and other birds of prey would be devastating to the ecosystem, said Allison Schroeder, executive director of Nature’s Nursery.

“Raptors are very important to the environment because they are a control species,” she said. “They are at the top of the food chain and they help control those pest populations like the rats and the mice that can be more detrimental.”

To report the incident of a sick or dead bird resulting from the H5Ni virus may call 800-945-3543.

[niman]

map update

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?mid=1E2wqF61M_F0pc9zOvoEs075hbeDW_Lot&ll=41.401848371649194%2C-82.83953595620858&z=12