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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.