The spring run of highly pathogenic avian influenza has started, but a year of experience managing the disease has Ontario farmers ready with new knowledge and tools. As of March 23, there were two confirmed cases in Ontario in domestic poultry and numerous suspected and confirmed deaths of wild birds. Why it matters: More than […] Read more
Tag Archives wildlife
Poultry sector resumes vigilance over avian influenza
Highly pathogenic strain resurfaces for Wave 3 of outbreak
Study tracks wild bird infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza
First-of-its-kind study looks at how the virus may be spread by wild birds
Glacier FarmMedia – For the first time, scientists have tracked the movement of a wild bird known to be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza in North America. The new research, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), may improve estimates of when and where the virus could spread in the environment and to other birds. […] Read more
U.S. avian flu outbreak of 2022 wipes out record number of birds
Vast majority of caseload originated with wild birds: USDA
Chicago | Reuters — Avian flu has wiped out 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the country’s deadliest outbreak in history, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed Thursday. The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 […] Read more
Market value alone is selling nature short, governments told
Economic valuations needed but 'not sufficient,' co-chair says
Reuters — What is the value of a river? Is it for the nutritional content of the fish it sustains? The economic benefit of the local livelihoods it supports? Or does the river have its own value which humans cannot measure? Such questions may seem removed from the issues the world faces, from deepening climate […] Read more
Northern egg harvesters cautioned over avian flu
High-path H5N1 found in wild birds in Yukon
Residents of Canada’s northern territories who harvest migratory wild birds and their eggs this spring are urged to take precautions as highly pathogenic avian influenza makes its way northward. The Yukon government’s animal health unit on May 27 reported confirmed cases of high-path H5N1 avian flu in two wild waterfowl carcasses. “Spring migration is ongoing […] Read more
Avian influenza continues to break across province, Canada
Concerns rise over spring planting contributing to spread
Despite the best efforts to quell its rise, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) has hit 20 Ontario poultry operations and backyard flocks as of early May. It’s been seven years since highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in Canada, but it’s returned with a vengeance this year. Commercial and backyard flocks in […] Read more
White-tailed deer found to be huge reservoir of coronavirus infection
COVID-19: High number of variants suggests many human-deer interactions
New research from the U.S. has shown that white-tailed deer are being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. Antibodies were found in 40 per cent of deer that were tested from January to March 2021 across Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York state. A second unpublished study has detected the virus in 80 […] Read more
Chronic wasting disease discovered in Manitoba
The province says there’s no evidence the first case of chronic wasting disease discovered in Manitoba is in any way linked to nearby farmed elk operations. In a media release announcing the case, officials said it was found near Lake of the Prairies as part of the province’s wildlife health surveillance program. It was in […] Read more
Can small pasture management changes help grassland birds?
Researchers try several strategies this summer with mixed success
The bobolink and other declining avian grassland species have received assistance from farmers and conservation researchers in Grey County. Through a $62,500 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario (BECO) – a non-profit conservation organization – has been working with landowners to identify nest locations and bird population numbers in the […] Read more
U.S. reports world’s first deer with COVID-19
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government said Friday it had confirmed the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of […] Read more