By Sentinel Staff
The Alaska Raptor Center announced Tuesday that it is temporarily suspending its bird rescue and on-site rehabilitation services due to the rising number of cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Alaska.
HPAI is a highly contagious disease that affects wild and domestic birds. It is quickly and easily spread through direct contact with infected birds and their feces. While waterfowl (including swans, geese and ducks) can carry and spread this virus without visible symptoms, birds like domestic chickens and raptors get severely ill and die rapidly, said Jennifer Cross, Raptor Center executive director.
“Sadly, nearly 100% of infected bald eagles die if they contract HPAI,” Cross said in Tuesday’s news release. “Our primary concern is for the health and safety of our resident education ambassador birds, all of which are affected species.”
The first case of HPAI in Alaska was confirmed April 29 in a noncommercial backyard flock of chickens and ducks in the Mat-Su area.
The Alaska Raptor Center continues to be open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for visitation and tours but it is employing Biosecurity Protocols to prevent HPAI from entering the facility and infecting its ambassador population.
“We are also closely monitoring our local wildlife for signs of HPAI and working with the state veterinarian to safely collect and send samples for testing,” Cross said. “We will re-evaluate our moratorium on admitting new patients regularly as we gain more information and more research is conducted in Alaska.”
Pet’s Choice Veterinary Hospital is available on a limited basis to receive sick birds on the center’s behalf.
“If you encounter a sick or injured bird in Sitka, please call the Alaska Raptor Center’s emergency phone line (907-738-8662) for guidance on next steps,” the release said.
The Raptor Center helped get the word out after avian influenza was reported in the Mat-Su with advice on protecting backyard chickens. The Department of Environmental Conservation said it’s trying to keep the public informed.
“With this confirmed case, it’s clear that migrating birds have brought avian influenza to Alaska this spring,” Dr. Robert Gerlach, Alaska State Veterinarian, said in a DEC news release in late April. “We are relying on flock owners to keep an eye on their animals for signs of illness, and to report any possible cases of avian influenza promptly to their own veterinarian or to our office.”
DEC said flock owners should be concerned if they observe sudden death of multiple birds in the flock, nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, or respiratory distress. Other signs include a significant drop in water consumption, diarrhea, lethargy, abnormal behavior or difficulty walking, blue discoloration of the comb and wattles or a swollen comb, wattles, legs, or head.
Signs of illness and dead domestic birds should be reported to Office of the State Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Gerlach, at 907-375-8215.
The Fish and Wildlife Service also maintains a Sick and Dead Bird Hotline: 1-866-527-3358.
