United States: Bird flu has killed hundreds of wild black vultures at a Georgia sanctuary that is the home to about 1,500 other animals.
Noah Ark, animal care manager-Allison Hedgecoth mentioned in the statement that at least 700 black vultures have died. The state workers euthanized 20 to 30 other birds, according to her.
She asserted, “All of our chickens were euthanized yesterday and our turkeys and our guinea hens.”
Along with this, the state officials have set up a six-mile (9.6km) perimeter around the sanctuary in the hope of containing the spread, as per the sources.
“With birds that are able to move around and airborne, this disease could spread pretty rapidly if it’s not contained very quickly,” state Senator Emanuel Jones shared the information.
A sign on the Noah’s Ark website highlighted that it would be closed till September 3.
According to Noah’s Ark sanctuary officials, no other birds there have tested positive for the highly dangerous H5N1 strain or displayed symptoms.
This year, a viral epidemic in the US has killed 40 million chickens, turkeys, and roughly 2,000 wild birds. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the wild birds include approximately 220 bald eagles and more than 240 black vultures. Due to it, even seals have perished.
Officials claim that on Saturday, they were informed that preliminary results show the black vultures that frequent Noah’s Ark perished from the highly deadly H5N1 strain. According to a statement made, state officials were alerted after an unusually large number of dead vultures were discovered on August 13, as per the sources.
In Locust Grove, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Atlanta, you may find Noah’s Ark. It is located more than 100 miles (160 km) north-west of the region where the majority of the previously recorded 15 wild bird deaths from the virus were found, as well as where hundreds of birds in a mixed backyard flock perished or were put to death earlier this year.
