Avian flu cases being underreported, B.C. wildlife centre says

British Columbia reported 21 cases of avian flu last week, more than anywhere else in Canada.

But according to the founder of Elizabeth’s Wildlife Centre, who has seen the devastating impact of the disease first-hand, the cases are being underreported.

"This has been so severe and has really impacted our resources, big time,” Elizabeth Melnick said.

Her centre takes in and cares for small mammals who are sick or hurt. She says recently, most of her days are filled with caring for sick birds.

"I can tell you that two days ago we had seven, yesterday we had three," she said. "Every day we're getting cases."

The disease is highly contagious among birds and is mainly carried by those in the wild.

"Their heads are twitching, they're shaky, and they’re very unstable on their feet," Melnick said.

And according to experts, it can have widespread impacts.

"When it gets into domestic birds such as chickens, it can be very bad – it has a near-100 per cent death rate,” said Amanda Brittain with the B.C. Poultry Association.

Melnick says many calls come in from people who’ve tried to call the City of Abbotsford and are diverted to her organization – which happened to Eve Ryan, who delivered a swan who appeared sick to the wildlife center.

"He started to waddle away from me and he didn't look like he was doing so well,” said Ryan.

"I threw my jacket over top of him when I got close to him and I just picked him up and I put him in my vehicle and now I'm here at Elizabeth's."

The wildlife centre monitors the birds, including the swan, and if they're determined to be suffering from avian flu, the animals are then euthanized.

According to the province’s website, if you see a bird who appears in distress you should first call a veterinarian.