Dead swan, goose found at Lake Tapps spark bird flu concerns

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by Lynnanne Nguyen,KOMONewsReporterFri, December 5, 2025 at 11:57 AM

Updated Fri, December 5, 2025 at 5:02 PMUserWay icon for accessibility widget

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FILE -This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). (CDC/NIAID via AP, File)

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PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has received two recent reports of dead birds at Lake Tapps, including a swan and a goose, amid increasing concerns of avian influenza, also known as bird flu.

SEE ALSO | Grays Harbor County resident dies from first global human infection of H5N5 avian flu

Last month, WDFW and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) reported seeing a spike in bird flu detections in domestic and wild birds from multiple counties, noting that “well-meaning members of the public have brought sick birds into their homes, barns, or vehicles in an effort to care for them.”

Both agencies warned that handling sick birds and bringing them indoors could contribute to the spread of bird flu and can potentially pose a threat to pets and humans. No treatments or vaccinations are currently available to treat bird flu.

However, with the latest dead birds found near Lake Tapps, a WDFW spokesperson told KOMO News, “Given limited resources, WDFW reserves avian influenza testing for large-scale mortalities and is unable to test individual animals.”

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WDFW noted bird flu is not easily transferable to people, especially if they take precautions and practice good hygiene, and officials stress people should not touch sick or dead wild birds or bring them into your home or vehicle.

“Risk to backyard flocks is extremely high right now. Every poultry owner should take biosecurity seriously,” Dr. Amber Itle, state veterinarian for WSDA, said. “Keeping wild waterfowl away from your flock is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your birds.”

According to WDFW, there have been nearly 20 cases of bird flu detected so far this year in Washington state in the following counties: Thurston, Whatcom, Snohomish, Spokane, Benton, Walla Walla, Adams, Whitman, Mason and Stevens.

The virus has been detected in animals like Canada geese, great horned owls, northern harrier hawks, a harbor seal, and a long-tailed weasel.

“We are seeing really unprecedented circulation of strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds all around the world,” Dr. Peter Rabinowitz, director of the UW Center for One Health Research, said. “We’re also seeing really unprecedented jumping of the virus from wild birds to both domestic birds as well as many species of mammals, and since we are mammals, that is definitely concerning.”

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) also detected bird flu in a commercial poultry flock in Grant County, as well as in two domestic, indoor cats in King and Snohomish counties.

“If your pet is free ranging and able to encounter potentially dead water fowl, or dead animals that pet, such as a cat, could potentially eat a bit of a carcass and be able to get infected in that way,” Dr. Rabinowitz said. “We’ve also seen evidence that says hunting dogs that have contact with a lot of waterfowl could also potentially get infected as well.”

Last month, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) reported a resident of Grays Harbor County infected with the H5N5 virus died from complications of bird flu. DOH reported the resident was an older adult with underlying health conditions who had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds and had been hospitalized in King County since early November.

DOH officials said, “DOH sampling identified avian influenza virus in the environment of the flock, making exposure to the domestic poultry, their environment, or wild birds the most likely source of exposure for this patient.”

The case is the first recorded infection of this variant in a person globally and was confirmed by the CDC.

However, health officials stressed the risk to the public remains low, and no other people involved have tested positive for bird flu, but they are monitoring people for symptoms who had exposure to the backyard flock and environment.

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