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
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.