A recent spate of dead raven sightings around Yellowknife is not because of avian flu, but residents should remain vigilant just the same.
That's the message from NWT chief veterinary officer Naima Jutha, who spoke to NNSL about the current state of the virus in the North.
She said that compared to other parts of the country, the NWT has seen a very low report and confirmation of avian flu SA国际影视传媒� a total of nine cases since 2022 SA国际影视传媒� but cautioned that may have more to do with the sparse human population than the the highly-pathogenic virus being scarce.
"We've been testing anything that comes in," she said. "Roughly half of the positives that we've had were ravens. It's been ravens and seagulls and one bald eagle.
"But we only get reports when people see something and we have a lot of ravens in urban areas, so I think they over-represent what's being submitted. But ravens are also known to scavenge on dead things, so if they scavenge on an animal that is infected with bird flu, they will catch it.
"They're also such personable creatures, a lot of people pay close attention to ravens," Jutha added.
She oversees the Wildlife Health Surveillance Program as part of her duties, which keeps track of health trends among wild animals. She noted that the widely unpopulated range of the NWT meant there could be a lot of birds not being monitored.
Avian flu spreads by way of migrating birds. The flocks then transfer the virus to local bird populations, where it can incubate and transform, only to be picked up by migratory birds the next season.
What is concerning about avian flu, particularly since 2022, is the virus's ability to move across different classes of animals, from birds to mammals, for example. But it's even affecting birds that normally do not migrate or are raised as livestock.
Jutha said in the United States there have even been cases of avian flu infecting dairy cattle and turning up in the milk.
"It's much more contagious among birds," she said. "What's frightening about this one is we're seeing spill-over into new species of birds. In some areas of Canada, they've seen it spill over to skunks and cats.
"Because of those spill-overs, the concern is the virus is going to adapt to different species. The more it spreads, the more infectious it becomes. That increases the likelihood of mutation. It has such a perfect vector SA国际影视传媒� migratory birds SA国际影视传媒� to be able to spread across vast geographies.
"We've dealt with it in Canada before, it's just this one seems to be acting in a highly infectious way to other animals."
She noted that there's been no transfer to humans yet, and added that the goal is to avoid that.
Seeking to avoid another pandemic, Jutha advises anyone who comes across a deceased or distressed animal to contact their local Environment and Climate Change wildlife office with the location. If you are able to take a photo, she said wildlife officers typically appreciate that as well.
Scavenging from animals found dead is not a good idea, and corpses should be kept away from pets, which could become infected.
Harvesting live geese is completely safe, however. Jutha noted birds who are infected with avian flu strains show obvious signs of distress, whereas birds that fly normally are healthy to eat.
"If they're not showing symptoms, chances are everything's totally fine," she said. "We don't want people to develop a hesitancy to do their traditional practices. Harvesting is perfectly safe. If they're flying overhead, they're probably healthy.
"For all intents and purposes, we're on good footing in the territory."
Still, she recommends cooking fowl to an internal temperature of 165 C, like you would a turkey, which is hot enough to kill any traces of the virus, should it exist in the carcass.
So, if it isn't the avian flu, what's killing some Yellowknife birds? Unfortunately, Jutha said tests show it's just aspects of life in the city: collisions with cars, windows or contact with power lines.
"For ravens, one of the common things, unfortunately, is blunt-force trauma, such as a car," she said. "There's a number of things that can cause death in birds SA国际影视传媒� I think people are seeing more because they're paying more attention."
