B.C.’s top vet has issued an order that birds of a feather shouldn’t get together — as another means of stopping the spread of the “highly pathogenic” H5 and H7 avian influenza A virus.
The Oct. 22 order means Lower Mainland owners of ducks, geese, doves, chickens and turkeys, pheasants, pigeons, quail, ostriches and emus cannot take their feathered friends to “co-mingling” events such as flea markets, bird shows, public displays, auctions or poultry swaps.
Chief veterinarian Theresa Burns said there’s a need to modify practices after detection of the avian flu in B.C. poultry farms.
She notes that highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 has been found in the mud in wetlands areas, “indicating widespread environmental contamination.
“There are heightened transmission opportunities during the time of wild bird migration,” said Burns.
The H5N1 strain of avian flu has been confirmed in B.C. for the last three years, including this year, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in B.C., there are currently 43 premises that have been infected, accounting for 6.5 million birds.
The avian flu has affected two Delta facilities that deal with wild birds.
In the past two months, about a dozen raptors have died of suspected avian flu, said Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society manager Rob Hope.
There are a few more birds than last year but it’s still a normal year as far as calls go, Hope noted.
“We’re just trying to do the best we can with what we have and obviously not only protect the animals, but protect people as well,” he said.
The facility currently has one bird in quarantine with suspected flu.
The ministry suggests that people working with birds suspected of having the flu wear protective clothing, including face masks, goggles, gloves and boots.
Those measures are already in place at OWL, Hope said.
“We have a quarantine protocol set in place … to prevent the spread to people or to our general population,” Hope said.
The facility currently has about 45 raptors, with most of those recovering from trauma injuries caused by vehicle strikes or hitting windows.
Hope said if a passerby sees a sick raptor, they should photograph or videotape it, and send it to OWL, who will be able to decide the best course of action.
Cases increase at this of year, during the migration season.
“The best thing to do is, if it’s a bird of prey, is to just call us,” Hope said.
Some of the symptoms could be similar to an injury or poison, he added.
If someone finds a dead bird, they can call the Wild Bird Mortality hotline, at 866-431-2473.
OWL however is continuing its raptor exhibits, taking precautions such as employing spacing limits and ensuring to clean up the bird droppings afterwards.
OWL has already received more birds this year, 630, than the 608 received in all of 2023.
At the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, on Westham Island, manager Kathleen Fry said staff are on the lookout for sick or dead birds but noted the stormy weather can keep many dead birds from ending up on the shores.
“We’re constantly looking for dead birds. It’s one of those diseases, when they get sick, they get sick very suddenly,” she said.
So far, they have found four or five dead birds that they turned over, a few weeks ago to Environment and Climate Change Canada for testing.
Last fall and winter, avian flu was an issue as well. Generally, birds are more vulnerable during the migration period because they’re gathering together.
“This is a little abnormal and I know everybody is quite concerned that a human has contracted it.”
Visitors are being cautioned not to hand-feed the birds and to wash their hands and maybe just give up feeding them for awhile as well, she added.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food, transmission has occurred in people who have had close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments.
Canada’s Public Health agency confirmed last week that a teenager from the Lower Mainland has contracted the H5N1 strain of the avian flu, the first such case in the country.
– with files from CP
