Experts suggest Canadians put away their bird feeders amid rise in avian flu
As more and more birds fall ill with avian flu, poultry farmers and wildlife facilities in Canada are on edge, with officials placing region-specific bans on the transport of live birds and poultry products and experts advising Canadians to remove bird feeders to combat the spread.
Avian flu is an infectious virus spread primarily among birds, and can range from “lowly pathogenic” to “highly pathogenic.” The severe form attacks multiple internal organs within the infected bird, causing death in nine out of ten cases.
Since 2021, Canada has been battling outbreaks of avian flu. As of last week, more than 1.37 million birds have been impacted across the country since 2021.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), they are “currently responding to cases of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in farmed birds across Canada.”
Over the last few weeks, an increase in reported cases among both farmed and wild birds has caused a new swell of concern.
In late April, OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Metro Vancouver, B.C., issued a statement on Facebook explaining that they were dealing with an avian flu outbreak and that it had already impacted or killed several of the wild birds they care for.
“A few rehab centres have sadly had to close to new intakes, we are lucky at OWL to have the space and equipment necessary to have multiple full quarantine facilities available for patients and have updated our quarantine procedures to adapt to this virus,” the facility wrote in the April 28 post. “Sadly HPAI in raptors is fatal in 90-100 per cent of cases and we have already lost nesting adult Bald Eagles, and an adult Coopers Hawk.”
General manager Rob Hope told CTV News Vancouver on Wednesday that they had seen about four positive cases come in, and have six that are considered potential cases. Their first case was in March.
“We’re getting them from mostly the local area here, Delta, Vancouver. We did have one positive from Bowen Island,” he said. “Unfortunately, the death rate is quite high, and it’s been within 24 hours.”
Birds who are sick with avian flu may show the disease through odd behaviour, seizures or even falling out of trees, the facility added in their Facebook post.
They are now urging residents to remove bird feeders to prevent further spread of the disease.
“To prevent the spread of HPAI please consider temporarily removing bird feeders, keep your chickens or pet fowl undercover and not in fields where wild waterfowl may gather,” the post stated.
It’s a sentiment that is being echoed by other experts. The B.C. SPCA issued a notice on Thursday warning that wild birds play a “key role” in spreading the virus, and that backyard bird feeders should be put away and bird baths emptied.
"Bird feeders facilitate the spread of the disease by encouraging unnatural congregations of birds and attracting other wildlife including predators and rodents," the warning from the SPCA said.
"The presence of bird feeders and baths can also increase the risk of transmitting the virus between nearby animals like backyard chickens or turkeys.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada still states on their website that bird feeders are safe, but adds that they should be “removed from areas that are open to poultry and other domestic animals”. They also added that you should not feed wild birds by hand, as this could encourage them to congregate in one region, increasing the probability of transmission.
“Backyard bird feeders and baths should be cleaned regularly using a weak solution of domestic bleach (10 per cent sodium hypochlorite),” they stated. “Ensure they are well rinsed and dried before re-use.”
The public is also encouraged to help by reporting any sick or dead birds to authorities, as well as birds that appear to be acting strangely.
Recently, many zoos have shut down their aviaries to protect their birds, with the Toronto Zoo and the Edmonton Valley Zoo moving birds off of exhibit in March and April respectively.
According to an online CFIA tool that shows the status of ongoing investigations into reported avian influenza by province, HPAI has been detected in five poultry and non-poultry flocks in B.C. since early April, including one in Kelowna and one in Richmond as recently as Tuesday.
Since the start of April, HPAI has been detected in 21 poultry flocks in Ontario, 25 poultry and non-poultry flocks in Alberta, and seven poultry and non-poultry flocks in Quebec and Saskatchewan each.
Currently, there are 72 flocks across the country that have had HPAI detected in them since December 2021.
The CFIA tool does not specify how many birds in each flock had been detected as having HPAI.
In March, CFIA announced that they were placing restrictions on the importation and transport of live birds, bird products and by-products from specific U.S. states that are also seeing an increase in avian flu.
Initially, the list only contained seven states. But the list was updated as recently as Thursday to add more and now contains 18 states that the restrictions apply to.
Canadians who eat poultry products do not need to be concerned about a food safety risk, the agency stressed. While avian flu can pass to humans in rare cases, you cannot contract avian flu by eating cooked poultry or eggs.
Throughout the outbreaks, numerous countries have also banned the transport of poultry products or live birds from Canada, with a number of temporary bans implemented in February due to a HPAI outbreak in Nova Scotia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google
The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.
Here is what Canada's drug shortage situation looks like right now
Compared to the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Canada experienced an uptick in prescription drug shortages in 2022 that Health Canada says has continued throughout 2023.
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
U.S. says alleged murder plotter was directed by India and mentioned B.C. killing
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Manslaughter charges laid against man accused of trafficking gun to teen who killed Edmonton police officers
A 19-year-old man accused of trafficking a firearm to the 16-year-old boy who killed two Edmonton police officers has been charged with manslaughter.
'We wish we could've reached that kid earlier,' says online educator about boy's suicide after apparent sextortion
The chat may seem innocuous at first. The victims, often young men or boys, start communicating with someone posing as a young girl, typically on the popular social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. But with sextortion, which occurs when people are blackmailed for money or sexual favours, 'sextorters' convince them to share a sexual photo or video.
opinion Five revelations from best-seller 'Endgame' that are sure to upset the Royal Family
Royal commentator Afua Hagan on five revelations in a new book that's sure to send shockwaves through the Royal Family's ranks.
Provinces are moving away from pap smears, but more infrastructure is needed
Some provinces are moving to HPV tests as the primary mode of cervical cancer screening, and others are close behind, an expert says.
Sask. man accused of sexually assaulting 3 boys arrested at daycare
An Assiniboia, Sask. man stands accused of sexually assaulting three boys under the age of 12 was arrested at a home-based daycare.
W5 HIGHLIGHTS

W5 George Chuvalo: the boxer nobody could knock down
Canadian boxing great George Chuvalo went blow-for-blow with legends, but it came at a cost. W5's Sandie Rinaldo speaks with Chuvalo's children about the damage that 93 fights did to their father's cognitive health. 'Boom Boom Chuvalo' airs Friday at 10/9 on CTV.

W5 Owners of prized historic N.S. home in legal nightmare, thanks to local government
W5 investigates: A couple buys a historic house in Nova Scotia at auction and puts hundreds of thousands of dollars into renovations, but the local government says they don't own the property.

W5 Who was the Kenora bomber?: W5 digs up clues that could reveal his identity
CTV W5 investigates the dramatic explosion that occurred in a small Canadian city after an armed bandit attempted a bank heist. W5 digs up clues that could reveal his identity.
'Understudied and unregulated': Green Party pushes to investigate asbestos in tap water
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has tabled a petition calling on the federal government to take urgent action on Canada’s aging asbestos-cement pipes due to the potential dangers of drinking tap water containing the deadly fibre.
A young race car driver from Canada is inspiring people all around the world
Austin Riley has been drawing crowds to the race track for years. But his claim to fame isn’t just being fast on the speedway, he is breaking barriers on the track for those with disabilities.
Court battle over Ontario's agriculture 'gag' laws kicks off in Toronto
A constitutional challenge of recent Ontario legislation that prevents the undercover filming of factory farms and the animals kept on them kicked off in a Toronto courthouse on Monday morning.
Despite perilous circumstances, incredible acts of humanity taking place amid Israel-Hamas war
The images and stories coming out of the war between Israel and Hamas are horrifying. Millions around the world have scrolled through the tragic scenes posted on social media with a growing sense of despair. It’s easy to forget that amongst so much inhumanity, incredible acts of humanity are taking place
'We can't speak': Barenaked Ladies band member on connecting to daughter through music
As a long-time member of the iconic Canadian band, The Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn has played before large audiences all around the world, but his most cherished performances are before an audience of one in a Toronto area group home. That's where his daughter Havana lives.