Bird flu cases are rising at poultry farms around the United States, spreading to almost one third of the entire country to date. Bird flu can spread rapidly, as wild geese and ducks often spread the virus, which can be passed as easily as drinking from the same water source. In birds, it is 90-100% lethal. In a previous bird flu outbreak in 2015, 50 million birds were killed by the virus or prematurely slaughtered as a preventative measure in the U.S. Troublingly, experts maintain that the present case is much worse.
According to NBC News (2022), so far, 190,000 birds were killed in South Dakota, 570,000 chickens were killed in Nebraska, and 6.2 million chickens were killed in Iowa in attempts to decrease the spread. It is possible that deaths will total hundreds of millions of birds around the country.
Birds used in the agriculture industry are not the only ones affected by the mass spread of this virus. Several zoos that keep birds are moving these individuals into inside-only, covered enclosures until the risk “dies down,” both literally and metaphorically. In areas as spatially constricted as zoos, with very little spatial affordances between individuals, these animals are put at much higher risk for transmission and infection to occur; especially when contained inside an enclosure with no escape when a contagion is introduced.
Trouble for Birds in Zoos
For example, at the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin, officials have preemptively closed all bird exhibits, including the popular penguin and flamingo exhibits. The aviary is also closed to prevent visitors from tracking in the virus on their shoes. According to the Senior Staff Veterinarian, Dr. Govett, “None of our animals have exhibited symptoms, and none have passed away. We have a lot of birds here that are Endangered species, and we just do not want to have that happen.” At a poultry farm in the neighboring Jefferson County, approximately 4 million chickens were killed.
Wild birds on the zoo property, including the native wild ducks and geese freely roaming the zoo grounds, remain one of the main risks for these endangered birds kept captively at the zoo. The zoo has placed a rope barrier around the on-site lake in attempts to prevent the wild birds from walking around and spreading waste contaminated by the virus, though the effectiveness of this measure is questionable considering that these birds can freely fly anywhere on the property.
Another concern, according to the Milwaukee County Zoo officials, are the free-roaming peacocks. Apparently, according to Dr. Govett, “They are at high risk now, and it’s very difficult to get them in,” though staff will monitor and test them if any show signs of symptoms. It is currently unknown how long these safety precautions, including the numerous endangered bird species contained indoors, will last, but the zoo staff members have acknowledged that this bird flu outbreak appears to be more severe and unpredictable than previous strains. Dr. Govett estimates that these restrictions will last until at least the summer.
Animal Captivity and Pathogens Go Hand in Hand
The many lives lost already and numerous complications that this outbreak has caused highlight the issue of housing different species together in captivity. As made particularly evident by the COVID-19 pandemic, when viruses jump between species (even when contained among bird species), they have an increased opportunity to become exponentially more infectious and deadly.
Therefore, a zoo that houses numerous species, sometimes together within the same enclosure, seems like the perfect example of an environment in which these outbreaks can develop and thrive. Most concerning, perhaps, in addition to individual animal welfare being compromised by possible health declines due to viral infection, is the potential for members of species most threatened with extinction to contract these lethal viruses.
One of the main arguments that zoos use to maintain visitor support is that they provide “insurance populations” for animals whose population numbers are precariously declining in the wild. But, how can we believe in the positive conservation impact of zoos, when they may present more liabilities for these animals than security?
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan
