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Wildlife’s role in carrying HPAI

A biologist says he expects the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza to continue as spring migration season approaches.

Eli Fleace is with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

“It’s typically a cold weather virus,” he says. “Part of that is their migration patterns. A lot of these birds are migrating in the winter, and so they’re moving across huge tracts of lands. They’re all landing in similar water sources nearby, they’re sharing food sources.”

During a recent Indiana Board of Animal Health webinar, he said the challenge is wildlife can be asymptotic carriers. 

“They’re walking through each other’s feces and breathing on each other,” he says. “They’re eating the same food. There’s really high interaction there and that creates a great opportunity for the virus to spread between species.”

BOAH reminds producers to stay vigilant and recognize the threat wild birds can have on commercial operations.

Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk.

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