LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – More daylight means more migratory birds filling our skies. Millions will make their way through Nevada this spring.
But many have been found dead, with no obvious signs of injury. Local wildlife experts explain what does it mean for the health of you and your pets.
Alex Harper with Red Rock Audubon says the bird flu could be flocking here as wintering birds make their way across the valley.
“You want to minimize all the ways in which it can get around,” harper said.
He adds you could be attracting the birds and the deadly virus right to your own house without even realizing it.
“Viruses are meant to mutate, and we make it pretty easy for viruses to move around sometimes including our pets,” Harper said.
Another thing that might not cross one’s mind, water in your backyard.
“Surely it’s not just going to be your dog or your cat that’s using that water dish,” Harper said. “Think about the birds that are coming in and congregating around that water as well. So, there is risk if you have a water dish outside that you’re not changing often.”
The Nevada Department of Wildlife says all mammals are considered potentially susceptible.
Bird flu has a high rate of mutations and has already spread from cow to cow, and once from cow to human in Nevada.
But NDOW Health Specialist, Dr. Nate LaHue says this pet is most at risk.
“So as far as people worried about their pets, cats especially seem to be susceptible. There’s been also multiple cats that have died after drinking raw milk,” Dr. LaHue said.
Harper says pets aside, people need to be cautious of things that might not be on their radar. He says if they see waterfowl like ducks and geese, know that they could be carriers, always scan the area for droppings, and minimize all the ways the virus can get around like on the bottom of your shoe.
“Many of our ballfields where people play soccer or play baseball, our golf courses are particularly attractive to geese,” Harper said. “Geese are a type of waterfowl that can be a vector for bird flu, so I think if you are going out for a round of golf, you should be washing off the bottoms of your shoes, maybe take an extra pair with.”
The Nevada Department of Wildlife still encourages the public to report any dead birds they come across.
NDOW adds depending upon the facts of the dead bird in a yard, they may come out and pick it up.
Human to human infections of bird flu have not happened.
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