BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – This week, the Florida Wildlife Hospital announced on social media that positive cases of bird flu are appearing in Brevard County.
Executive Director Tracy Frampton stated, “We sent 10 samples off earlier a couple of weeks ago and we got 6 back that were positive. We just sent 40 back out yesterday.”
Frampton noted that bird flu is being found in several ducks and black vultures. This comes a month after a 65-year-old Louisiana man died from bird flu, marking the first such case in U.S. history.
“The man had underlying medical conditions and a backyard flock, as chickens are more susceptible to the flu due to their housing conditions,” said Frampton.
Frampton advised that if you see a sick or dead bird and wish to bring it to the hospital, you should wear gloves, wear a mask, and place the bird in an area that can be cleaned later.
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The hospital is also seeing numerous broken pelican wing injuries early this year. Recent exams from forensic pathologists suggest there may be foul play involved.
“They really suspect that it is a torsion fracture, like someone is twisting the wing. We’re hoping that by getting the message out, more people will watch out for this, and hopefully, someone responsible can be found,” Frampton explained.
If the injuries were caused by a car, nets, or a building, other signs of trauma would be present on the birds’ bodies.
“Last year, the hospital treated several pelicans with similar problems around this time, with about 25 birds arriving in a two-week period and around 10 in one day,” Frampton said.
Last year, they found around 70 birds with these injuries, but so far this year, there have been eight.
The Florida Wildlife Hospital sees about 5,000 patients annually, but last year, they saw nearly 7,500. The increase in cases is attributed to factors such as rapid growth and development in the county, habitat fragmentation, and more people reporting patients.
The hospital receives no county, state, or federal funding and relies solely on foundations, businesses, and individual donors.
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