Wildlife officials confirm bird flu cases in 6 Utah counties

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah wildlife officers say six counties now have confirmed chicken flu circumstances in wild birds.

Ten contaminated birds have been present in Cache, Weber, Salt Lake, Utah, Tooele and Carbon counties. They embrace Canada geese, nice horned owls, hawks, pelicans, turkey vultures and geese, the Utah Division of Wildlife Assets stated.

Officers are awaiting take a look at outcomes from different lifeless birds, the division stated in a Thursday information launch.

Two pelicans discovered Could 13 and a Canada goose discovered Could 16 on the Scofield Reservoir shore are among the many most up-to-date chicken deaths tied to the illness. All three had been collected by wildlife officers and despatched to state amenities for testing.

“The Division of Environmental High quality confirmed the consuming water from Scofield Reservoir wouldn’t be impacted by avian flu, because the water is handled. Regular leisure actions, equivalent to fishing and swimming must also not be impacted,” officers stated.

Songbirds will not be sometimes affected by the chicken flu. Wildlife officers urged those that might discover a group of 5 or extra lifeless waterfowl or shorebirds, or lifeless scavengers or raptors, to report it to the closest Division of Wildlife Assets workplace “and completely be certain to not contact the birds or decide them up.”

“We’re persevering with to watch this virus in wild chicken populations. It sometimes would not have a lot of an influence on the general populations of waterfowl, but it surely’s seemingly that we’ll have some die now that it has been confirmed in wild birds within the state,” stated Ginger Stout, veterinarian with the Division of Wildlife Assets.