Reports of dead and dying geese around the town of High River, Alta., about an hour south of Calgary, have prompted concerns about the spread of avian flu in bird populations.
Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection that can affect all species of birds, including domestic poultry, causing significant illness and deaths, but it is wild ducks and geese that are the primary carriers of the virus.
In posts on social media, the town of High River is advising people in the community to avoid contact with sick or dead birds, keep their pets away from wildlife and local waterways and report any sightings of any sick or dead birds to the provincial government or Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative by calling 310-0000.
A dead goose seen floating in a pond in the town of High River, Alta.
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Dayna Goldsmith, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Calgary, said the reports of sick and dead waterfowl are no surprise to her.
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“This outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu has been happening in wildlife since early September, maybe late August,” said Goldsmith. “We see the highest mortality mostly in waterfowl; Canada geese are really commonly affected.
“In this case in High River, it’s been mostly geese that have been reported. The ones that are seen alive are behaving abnormally, so showing things like swimming in circles. They also have cloudy eyes, which are kind of two classic things we see with this infection.
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“So given that presentation and the time of year close to fall migration or during fall migration, it’s very likely to be influenza.”
Experts say the increase in reports of avian flu come at a time when migratory birds are gathering together in large numbers, making them more susceptible to the virus.
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Goldsmith said reports of similar infections started coming in about three years ago, but this year there are more reports of dead birds than in past years.
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“It’s still kind of early in the outbreak. We don’t know whether something about the strain has changed or maybe we just have more birds that are susceptible right now,” said Goldsmith.
“The flu virus is always changing. They’re really good at evolving and changing, so we don’t really know going forward how it’s going to behave. It’s been around for a while so we don’t expect it to go away anytime soon, so I can’t really predict the numbers in the spring,” added Goldsmith.
“Generally fall is worse than the spring for outbreaks of flu, just like in people, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Goldsmith said raptors and other birds like magpies can also become infected when they eat the bodies of the birds that died from the virus.
In a statement to Global News Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas said it expects that more cases of avian flu will be confirmed as migratory wild birds continue to move south across the province.
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In a statement emailed to Global News, a spokesperson for the Alberta Department of Environment and Protected Areas said reports of the dead birds “are consistent with the ongoing outbreak of avian influenza across southern Alberta.”
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“While more wild birds have been affected this year than in the past, the total remains relatively low compared to the hundreds of thousands of wild geese and swans passing through Alberta this fall,” the statement added.
Since Sept. 1, there have been 169 lab-confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds in the province.
Goldsmith recommends anyone who sees a dead bird avoid touching it, or if they do need to pick it up, use a plastic bag and gloves, double-bag it, then wash their hands with soap and water and report it immediately to the Department of Environment and Protected Areas or the CWHC.
While avian flu primarily affects birds, in Canada it has also been occasionally detected in mammals such as raccoons, striped skunks, red foxes, cats and dogs and — in very rare cases — humans.
While most people who get it have very mild symptoms, in others it can cause flu-like symptoms such pink eye and fatigue.
In extremely rare cases, it can cause more serious problems such as pneumonia, respiratory and organ failure, or even death.
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