By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Although highly pathogenic avian influenza has killed tens of millions of birds across America this year, only six bald eagles are confirmed to have died of the virus in Sitka since mid-May, the Alaska Raptor Center reported Thursday.
The virus, which kills over 99 percent of the raptors it infects, was first detected in Sitka in May, but so far there is no indication that it has spread extensively, Raptor Center executive director Jennifer Cross said.
“It could just be that the virus isn’t as prevalent in the ecosystem in Southeast right now,” Cross told the Sentinel. “I think because people don’t generally have large flocks (of domestic birds such as chickens) that range too far from their coops and things like that, that could be helpful… There’s probably a lot of factors involved.”
A tourist from the cruise ship Roald Admunsen photographs an eagle at the Alaska Raptor Center this afternoon. The center has been taking precautions against avian flu, which was first detected in Sitka in May. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson
Industrial poultry farms were hard-hit by the virus earlier in the year, with more than 40 million birds infected. Infection rates have fallen in recent months, the U.S. Department of Agriculture website says.
While warm weather in Southeast Alaska has likely lowered virus transmission risks, Cross said the Raptor Center will continue to take precautions to keep HPAI out of the facility.
“We lucked out timing-wise. If the virus would have made it to Southeast in early spring, it could have been a completely different story,” she said. “But I think we got really lucky so far. I keep saying things could change, you know, we’re still being cautious.”
While Raptor Center birds were kept indoors for over a month to stop wild birds from introducing the virus into enclosures, as of June 20, the center began allowing its resident eagles outdoors in covered enclosures, Cross said. The center, a major tourist attraction in Sitka, remains open to visitors.
Tentatively, Cross said, the Raptor Center plans to wait for all tests to come back negative over a four week period before admitting new birds for rehabilitation.
“We really want to get back to rescue and rehabilitation,” she stressed. “That’s what we’re passionate about, it’s our mission and it’s very, very difficult for us to have to stand by and not be able to actively help birds.”
When rehab efforts begin again, Cross said, equipment will be cleaned between uses to prevent infection.
The center is still awaiting test results from six birds that might be infected, but as of June 29 Sitka’s avian flu tally was only six birds, all of which died of the virus or were euthanized.
“We’ve sent in samples from crows, ravens, gulls and backyard chickens,” Cross said. “The most recent positive result came from a juvenile bald eagle sampled on June 10. We continue to collect samples on sick and injured raptors and any other bird, regardless of the species, that exhibited symptoms of the virus.”
Cross noted that no ravens, crows or domestic birds have tested positive. She said she had expected more viral activity in local corvids (ravens and crows).
“They’re highly social creatures, so we were expecting more presence in them. But we’re just as curious and maybe a little baffled about why it’s only been bald eagles so far,” she said. “And it could be that crows and ravens are better at hiding themselves when they’re sick and dying, and just people aren’t finding them and letting us know.”
A single infection at the Raptor Center could be disastrous, she said.
“Thankfully, there hasn’t seemed to be a major outbreak in town and we are proud to have helped get the word out to our community and safely remove infected birds from the environment,” she said in an email.
In the Midwest, she noted, infections have plummeted with the onset of hot weather.
More than 20 million birds across the country were killed by the virus in March, but USDA data shows the number dropped to 0.78 million in May and 2.17 million in June. Among wild birds, the department has observed 1,635 infections nationwide and 27 in Alaska.
“As long as we keep getting confirmed positive cases, we will continue employing our extra biosecurity measures,” Cross said. “We won’t resume rescue and onsite rehabilitation of new patients until we are more confident that the virus’ presence in Southeast Alaska has abated.”
