With the arrival of spring comes the culmination of worry for an unprecedented year of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) throughout Ontario and North America. Since the start of 2022, HPAI has spread through the country, and scientists and wildlife advocates have issued alarm bells to raise awareness of its spread. Over 500 million birds will be migrating through Ontario this spring! The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is calling on residents to remain ever-watchful against this widely underestimated and potentially deadly virus.
The MNRF is responsible for tracking bird flu outbreaks and collaborating with various agencies as part of the Ontario HPAI One Health team. This zoological health protection team tracks avian influenza and works to minimize threats posed by the spread of this virus. Lawrence Martin, director of the lands and resources department at Mushkegowuk Council, calls for greater awareness. This counterintuitive message is most critical for hunters.
Mike Fenn, veterinary expert in wildlife health revealed that HPAI cases are expected to continue to show up in Ontario and across North America for the foreseeable future. That is, at least, during the spring and fall bird migration seasons. Today’s prediction is a reminder for all bird watchers and fall hunters to exercise increased caution.
The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative has set up an online reporting tool for suspected avian influenza cases. You can contact them via telephone, 1-866-673-4781. This new Birds as Harbingers initiative empowers anyone to report atypical bird behavior or signs of illness that they might see in the field. Hunters are especially warned to watch for sick birds that may be disoriented or lethargic in behavior.
There’s plenty of the bad still to go around. Much of the bad is still focused to our south. As late as this week, Fenn cautioned that they were at risk of spreading across the border into Ontario.
Martin focuses on the historical picture when it comes to avian diseases. As relates to waterfowl, he explains, “Any time there’s a large aggregation of ducks, some birds start looking really sick. He remembers old-time wisdom from elders, who mention the repetitive nature of bird populations and their impact on disease.
In many ways, the current HPAI strain is even more alarming. It’s long ago crossed the ocean and impacted domestic poultry, sounding alarm bells in agricultural communities. Although outbreaks in wild birds are not unusual, the potential risk for this specific strain is increased.
With millions of birds passing through here, “We need to be extremely careful,” warned Martin. He warned hunters to not go after game in areas where outbreaks have occurred or in regions where dead birds are visibly located.
To help limit the spread of avian influenza, the Mushkegowuk Council recently published new guidelines. Their best advice, echoed here, is for hunters to always wash hands with soap and water after handling birds. When soap and water aren’t readily available, they need to use hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol.
Watch yourselves out there, tweets and runners alike! Martin encouraged. Safety precautions in agriculture will protect food, the food industry, and food workers. He explained that while healthy birds usually shy away from people, those that are sick will usually let you get closer to them.
“If they’re low energy, if they’re breaking down, you can tell that right off when you’re out in the field looking for them,” he said. Whether in the field or on their dinner table, these signs of illness in wild birds can be important indicators for both hunters and wildlife observers.
