Schools, businesses and people aren’t the only ones suffering effects from viruses. As the COVID-19 pandemic may be waning, our feathered friends are taking a hit from a different but deadly pathogen, state officials report.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in wild birds and among domestic chicken flocks, and is disrupting the food chain and efforts by local wildlife rehabilitators to do their jobs efficiently.
A boat owner at Deep Point Marina reported a distressed, wet, shaken bird he thought might be a large hawk on March 26. It was actually a juvenile bald eagle with a hole in its wing, said Mary Ellen Rogers of Sea Biscuit Wildlife Rescue.
The bird was in distress, she said.
Two volunteers used nets and blankets to gently trap and bring the bird to the shelter, and Rogers and others took the eagle to the River Road veterinarian clinic, where a doctor stitched its wing.
The eagle will likely be OK, but because of HPAI Rogers can’t take it to a facility designed to fully rehabilitate such a large bird.
Officials report HPAI is affecting chicken farmers and other birds across the state and region. There have been multiple bird deaths, leading to a partial quarantine and it has become a national issue, according to multiple news sources.
“It stops us from moving birds,” said Rogers. She needs to get the eagle near more mature members of its species to learn hunting and survival skills. Land managers at Orton Plantation and Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point are working with Sea Biscuit to acclimate the raptor, Rogers said.
Serious risk, be aware
This type of HPAI virus is considered a low risk to people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, but it can be dangerous to other birds, including commercial and backyard flocks of poultry. Officials at the Wildlife Commission recommend that hunters take extra precautions offered by the USDA to protect themselves:
• Do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
• Wear rubber gloves when handling birds, cleaning game or cleaning bird feeders.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning game.
• Dress your game birds in the field whenever possible. If you must dress your birds at home, clean them in an area separate from your poultry and pet birds.
• Double bag the inedible parts of the bird and feathers. Tie the inner bag and include your rubber gloves and leave them in the outer bag before tying it closed.
• Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling game or cleaning bird feeders. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol wipes.
• Wash all tools and work surfaces with soap and water. Then, disinfect them.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Keep uncooked game in a separate container, away from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
• Cook game meat thoroughly; poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill disease organisms and parasites.
“If someone comes across a mortality event involving five or more waterbirds or waterfowl, or a mortality event of any size for raptors or avian scavengers, including crows, ravens and gulls, we want to know about them,” stated wildlife biologist Joe Fuller. “We are also interested in morbidity events involving any number of those same bird species that are observed with clinical signs consistent with neurological impairment, like swimming in circles, head tilt and lack of coordination.”
The public is encouraged to direct wild bird reports as described by Fuller to the NC Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email [email protected].
For more information on HPAI, visit the NCDA&CS website.
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