14 pelicans are dead at the Phoenix Zoo after contracting bird flu
The Arizona Center for Nature Conservation announced that 14 pelicans at the Phoenix Zoo have died after contracting highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu.
Bird flu is a disease caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ACNC said that Migratory waterfowl and shorebirds are the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses.
According to Dr. Gary West, senior vice president of Animal Health and Living Collections at the Phoenix Zoo, several of the zoo's pink-backed pelicans began showing signs of neurologic impairment on Oct. 15. West said that both of the zoo's brown pelicans and white pelicans also developed similar symptoms shortly thereafter.
“Despite being taken to the Zoo’s animal care center for examination, testing and intensive treatment, we, unfortunately, lost all nine pink-backed pelicans, one brown pelican and two white pelicans," West said. "Another two pelicans who were exhibiting similar symptoms were humanely euthanized last week.”
The ACNC said the affected pelicans were all housed on the lake in the children's zoo area but the rest of the zoo's birds seem to be unaffected at this time.
"The Zoo’s pelicans live outside, so they do have direct contact with wild birds, but fortunately, the pelicans don’t come into contact with other Zoo birds," the ACNC said in a media release.
According to the ACNC, testing conducted with the Arizona state veterinarian, Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Pathology service, Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and National Veterinary Service Laboratory has indicated that nine out of 11 of the birds already tested positive for HPAI, and three other samples are pending results.
The ACNC noted that they have made preventative changes to mitigate the risk to its animal collection based on the zoo's prevention and response plan and under the direction of the state veterinarian.
Because of winter migration patterns, Arizona is seeing numerous cases of this disease, according to the ACNC.
“We have closed our Tropical Flights Aviary to the general public until further notice and ceased our behind-the-scenes tours with our flamingos to keep our collection birds safe,” West said. “Public health risk of avian-human transmission of HPAI H5 viruses circulating among birds in the United States is thought to be low. As always, do not touch or feed wild birds."
Reach the reporter Jeremy Yurow at Jyurow@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 14 Pelicans at Phoenix Zoo dead after contracting bird Flu
