Skunks found dead in Vancouver, Richmond test positive for avian flu

Eight skunks that were found dead in Vancouver and Richmond last month have tested positive for the same strain of avian flu that has decimated some B.C. poultry farms over the last year.

Wildlife rescue workers were initially concerned the skunks had been deliberately poisoned, but the Ministry of Agriculture and Food confirmed Monday that the animals were infected with H5N1.

"The skunks may have contracted influenza by scavenging infected wild birds," the ministry wrote in an information bulletin.

Outbreaks of avian flu have impacted millions of birds across Canada since April 2022, and forced some farmers to cull entire herds to stop the spread. B.C. has recorded more farm outbreaks than anywhere else in Canada.

According to the province, the disease has infected more than 20 species of wild birds, plus two skunks and one fox that were found in rural areas.

In February, CTV News reported a total of nine skunks suffering from apparent poisoning were discovered in B.C.'s Lower Mainland and taken to the Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley, where staff unsuccessfully to treat them. 

Some of the animals were dead when they arrived, while others were suffering symptoms that ranged from trouble breathing to seizures.

"Something is wrong," Lesley Fox of advocacy group The Fur-Bearers said at the time. "In my entire time at The Fur-Bearers I’ve never seen anything like this."

Officials urged anyone who comes across a dead skunk in either Vancouver or Richmond to leave the carcass and contact the B.C. Wildlife Health Program.

"While influenza in skunks is considered to be a low risk to human health, there are always risks when people and pets come into contact with sick or dead wild animals, including skunks and birds," the ministry said.

The B.C. Wildlife Health Program can be reached by phone at 250-751-7246.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's St. John Alexander