More than 1,000 domestic poultry and hundreds of wild birds have died or needed to be euthanized in the state since early spring. Since the first case of a deadly strain of avian flu was detected in Alaska in May, more than 1,000 domestic poultry and hundreds of wild birds have died or needed to be euthanized.
A black bear cub in Southeast Alaska was sick last month with bird flu, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The cub found in Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, is only the second instance of highly pathogenic avian influenza being diagnosed in a bear amid an ongoing outbreak. Health officials say risk to mammals, including people, remains low.
It’s one of only four mammals in Alaska to contract the virus, and the first brown bear to be found with the disease.
In Sanikiluaq, the suspected case was discovered in a thick-billed murre, which is a large seabird, on Coats Island. In Cambridge Bay, one was detected in a herring gull. It has been detected in birds in all 10 provinces and the Yukon so far.
Bird flu may be the reason behind a drastic decrease in the number of peregrine falcons in Sweden this year. Every year there is a stock count of the number of peregrine falcons in Sweden and this year early numbers indicate there may be a big drop in the number of birds counted.
The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for the summer and is close to 60. Most of the seals that have been stranded this summer have been found dead, NOAA said. The dead seals have included gray seals and harbor seals.
The UK has been facing its largest ever outbreak of avian influenza, with cases found around Scotland including a recent outbreak on the remote archipelago of St Kilda.Samples were taken from hundreds of dead birds found on East Lothian beaches.
The bear was exhibiting strange behavior, wandered between vehicles, went down to the water in a fishing harbor, began to swim around in circles, came out and hit a wall.
Concerned ornithologists are asking the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to introduce stricter measures to avoid a new outbreak of bird flu. The risk of infection to humans is considered low by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, but we are concerned about infection between animals. Everyone who has poultry must be aware of the infection in wild birds, protect their own birds against infection and monitor the birds' state of health, says Anne Marie Jahr of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
A wildlife pathologist in Saskatoon says his lab is testing several skunks and fox kits showing neurological signs that could be caused by avian flu. The transmission to mammals is not a surprise to Bollinger, who said cases have been showing up in the United States. There are other viral diseases - such as distemper and rabies - that cause similar symptoms in these species.
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