By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to be a threat to poultry providers around the Midwest. A dead duck found at the Sedgwick County Zoo two weeks ago tested positive for the virus, resulting in the shutdown of most bird exhibits. Kansas Wetlands Education Center Director Curtis Wolf said HPAI is one possible cause of several dead geese at Cheyenne Bottoms, where thousands of migratory birds remain.
"When you have that many of anything together, disease can run rampant," he said. "That's kind of the limiting factor with big numbers of any living things. With the huge numbers of geese here, there's definitely some disease that's going to be expected."
The dead birds are visible throughout the shoreline of Pool 1A. One concern is that birds of prey, such as bald eagles, that eat the dead birds may become infected themselves.
"Eagles are much more of a scavenger species than they are just a predator," Wolf said. "They do kill their own prey but they like to scavenge off of dead things. You have these dead geese out there, that's an easy meal for them. It can get contracted through that means."
Right now, there's little staff can do. Some of the birds have been sent off for testing, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks does have a protocol for handling infected birds.
"It looks bad," said Wolf. "I get that. No one wants to go out there and see a bunch of dead birds floating. The other part, though, is it's very difficult. How do you get out there, especially when you have this water that's very shallow and everything else?"
Wolf said picking up the birds would also mean human contact with the birds, though it is unlikely any avian influenza would be transmitted to humans. Still, he said it pays to be cautious around waterfowl.
"Hunters should take precautions, especially when cleaning birds, wearing gloves and maybe even a mask is a good idea," he said. "Typically, for consuming those birds, if you cook them correctly, it shouldn't be a problem."