Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife raises warning after 80 geese die from bird flu in Monroe
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is warning people to stay away from the birds at Lake Tye State Park following an outbreak of bird flu.
In early November, the WDFW started getting reports of sick and dead wild birds at Lake Tye State Park in Monroe.
When one of the dead birds was examined by staff, it tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.
An estimated 70 to 80 geese have already died from the disease according to officials, however, deaths have slowed over the past few days.
“We saw similar outbreaks like this last fall when the annual wild bird migration was underway. This isn’t uncommon as birds concentrate in large numbers during the migration and can spread the virus between them through saliva, feces, and contaminated ground,” said a spokesperson.
Even though reports say that bird deaths have slowed, WDFW is still asking people not to feed any wild birds at Lake Tye or any other areas.
They also recommend that nobody tries to help a sick or dying bird. This is because taking sick or dead birds to a veterinarian is a good opportunity for the virus to spread. Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine.
