08 Apr 2022 • 27 minutes ago • 2 minutes reading • Join the discussion A sign at the entrance to Point Pelee National Park is displayed on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Photo by Dax Melmer / Windsor Star
Content of the article
A single case of bird flu has been confirmed in Point Pelee National Park.
Advertising 2
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The park took to Facebook this week to announce that while it had detected a case of bird flu, the park remains safe to visit. This year, there have been outbreaks of a highly contagious strain – H5N1 – of bird flu, a virus that infects wild and domestic birds. The disease can be fatal to birds. However, the Ontario Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says bird flu is not a public health concern or food safety hazard for anyone who does not have regular contact with infected birds. “Diseases such as bird flu are occurring naturally in wildlife populations and previous cases have eventually declined as wild bird populations have developed immunity,” Parks Canada told the Star in an email. “Parks Canada will continue to pursue all health precautions and work with the Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Service to monitor the situation.”
Advertising 3
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Visitors to Point Pelee are advised to take the following precautions:
Never approach or handle wildlife in the park, including sick, injured or dead birds. Never allow your pet to approach wildlife, including sick, injured or dead birds. Never feed wild birds with your hand and do not try to lure the birds with food or seeds. Clean all clothes and shoes before coming to the park Clean / disinfect shoes before leaving the park, especially if you raise poultry or have pets at home.
Anyone seeing sick, injured or dead wildlife in Point Pelee is kindly requested to call Parks Canada at 1-877-852-3100 or inform a staff member. The swamp at Point Pelee National Park in Leamington appears on April 21, 2017. Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star While at home, residents are encouraged to regularly clean indoor and outdoor bird houses, feeders and bird baths using a weak household bleach solution (10% sodium hypochlorite). Make sure they are rinsed and dry well before reusing.
Advertising 4
This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
People should also move bird feeders away from areas open to poultry and other pets. Limit each trip to poultry farms (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.). If you encounter a sick or dead wild bird outside Point Pelee National Park, contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 866-673-4781 or report it online at cwhc.wildlifesubmissions.org. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday confirmed cases of the H5N1 strain in uninhabited poultry herds in Markham and Chatham-Kent. According to the agency’s website, 10 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Ontario in the past two weeks. Millions of birds migrate through Point Pelee National Park each year. [email protected] twitter.com/wstarcampbell
Share this article on your social network
Sign up to receive daily headlines from Windsor Star, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thank you for your registration!
A welcome email is on its way. If you do not see it, check the junk folder. The next issue of Windsor Star Headline News will be in your inbox soon. We encountered a problem with your registration. PLEASE try again
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but political forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to monitor before appearing on the site. We ask that you retain your comments regarding and with respect. We’ve activated email notifications — you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, an update on a comment thread that follows, or if a user follows the comments. See the Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to customize your email settings.
