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By Chris Brown

Dead birds near South Saskatchewan River suspected to be victims of avian flu

Dec 14, 2022 | 1:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – An outbreak of avian flu that came to our province in April has picked up once again and Alberta Fish & Wildlife officials believe it has reached our city.

Hatters began spotting dead and sick-looking Canada geese and mallard ducks along and near the South Saskatchewan River last week and reporting them to the province’s environment and parks office in Medicine Hat.

“We suspect that this might be again another reflection of the avian influenza outbreak,” says provincial wildlife disease specialist Margo Pybus. “The birds are concentrated on open water areas and you know they’re a little stressed because they’re trying to over-winter here and that’s probably triggered the virus to start to be a little more virluent or have its effect and killing the geese and the mallards.”

Pybus says her office has initiated collection protocols for the birds and getting them to the lab for testing to confirm whether initial suspicions are correct. She adds a similar situation has developed in Lethbridge along the Oldman River.

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Fish & Wildlife is working with people in the field to document the scale of the mortality, Pybus says, and people are still seeing sick and dead birds this week.

She says this seems to be a “pretty significant” mortality event.

“It’s not going to reduce the overall Canada goose population but there may be fewer over-wintering geese and ducks there this year than previous years by the time the winter is done, by the time the virus is done.”

Pybus adds the virus itself doesn’t pose any health risk to humans but “we would recommend if some of these birds are wandering into private property and dying there then certainly they should wear gloves and double bag the birds and put them out with the municipal garbage.”