Page 12 - aruba-today-20220407

A12 SCIENCE
Thursday 7 april 2022

Zoos hiding birds as avian flu spreads

in North America

prevent contact between
wild birds and zoo animals.
In some places, officials
are requiring employees to
change into clean boots
and don protective gear
before entering bird areas.
When bird flu cases are
found in poultry, officials
order the entire flock to be
killed because the virus is
so contagious. However,
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture has indicated
that zoos might be able to
Magellan penguins stand in their enclosure at the Blank Park avoid that by isolating in-
Zoo, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. fected birds and possibly
Associated Press euthanizing a small num-
By JOSH FUNK the wild. "We take amazing ber of them.
Associated Press care and the welfare and Sarah Woodhouse, direc-
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zoos well being of our animals tor of animal health at
across North America are is the utmost importance. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
moving their birds indoors There's a lot of staff that has and Aquarium, said she is
and away from people close connections with the optimistic after talking with
and wildlife as they try to animals that they care for state and federal regula-
protect them from the here at the zoo." tors. "They all agree that
highly contagious and po- Toronto Zoo workers are ordering us to depopulate
tentially deadly avian influ- adding roofs to some out- a large part of our collec-
enza. Penguins may be the door bird exhibits and tion would be the absolute
only birds visitors to many double-checking the mesh last-ditch effort. So they're
zoos can see right now, surrounding enclosures really interested in working
because they already are to ensure it will keep wild with us to see what we can
kept inside and usually birds out. Birds shed the vi- do to make sure that we're
protected behind glass in rus through their droppings not going to spread the
their exhibits, making it and nasal discharge. Ex- disease while also being
harder for the bird flu to perts say it can be spread able to take care of our
reach them.Nearly 23 mil- through contaminated birds and not have to eu-
lion chickens and turkeys equipment, clothing, thanize," Woodhouse said.
have already been killed boots and vehicles carry- Among the precautions
across the United States to ing supplies. Research has zoos are taking is to keep
limit the spread of the virus, shown that small birds that birds in smaller groups so
and zoos are working hard squeeze into zoo exhibits or that if a case is found, only
to prevent any of their birds buildings can also spread a few would be affected.
from meeting the same the flu, and that mice can The USDA and state vet-
fate. It would be especially even track it inside. So far, erinarians would make the
upsetting for zoos to have no outbreaks have been final decision about which
to kill any of the endan- reported at zoos, but there birds had to be killed.
gered or threatened spe- have been wild birds found "Euthanasia is really the
cies in their care. dead that had the flu. only way to keep it from
"It would be extremely For example, a wild duck spreading," said Luis Padil-
devastating," said Maria that died in a behind-the- la, who is vice president of
Franke, who is the man- scenes area of the Blank animal collections at the
ager of welfare science at Park Zoo in Des Moines, Saint Louis Zoo. "That's why
Toronto Zoo, which has less Iowa, after tornadoes last we have so many of these
than two dozen Logger- month tested positive, zoo very proactive measures in
head Shrike songbirds that spokesman Ryan Bickel place."q
it's breeding with the hope said. Most of the steps zoos
of reintroducing them into are taking are designed to Casa del Mar 2BR/2B
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