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Bird flu: What local experts say about risk of human-to-human infection
This ostrich farm survived wildfires. Now, avian flu means 400 birds need to be culled
Universal Ostrich looking at options after federal agency ordered cull amid ongoing avian flu outbreak
Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Jan 12, 2025 2:48 PM PST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
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An ostrich farm in B.C.’s West Kootenay has been ordered to cull its entire herd of 400 birds after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of avian flu there.
Universal Ostrich has been told to get rid of its birds by Feb. 1, according to Katie Pasitney, whose mother and mother’s business partner have operated the Edgewood, B.C., farm for over 35 years.
In the CFIA’s letter to the farm, shared with CBC News, the agency says it issued the cull order on Dec. 31 following an avian flu detection earlier that month. CFIA says it follows the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in classifying the ostriches as “poultry.”
The order comes as highly pathogenic avian flu (the H5N1 variant) continues to spread in Canada, impacting more than 15 million domestic birds, an unknown number of wild birds, and even some dairy cattle and people.
But Pasitney says the ostriches present little risk to the wider population, as flightless birds that aren’t being sold for meat, and that the farm has implemented strict quarantine protocols since the disease was detected in early December.
“There’s gonna be a huge impact to mental health here, as well as to the world, honestly,” she told CBC News through tears.
“If you kill 400, it’s a mass massacre of animals and it’d be heartbreaking to see this happen.”
WATCH | Pasitney speaks with CBC News as 2021 wildfires threaten her farm:
Edgewood, B.C., residents hunker down with 500 ostriches amid wildfire threat
3 years ago
Duration5:58A family in Edgewood, B.C., says they’ll stay put as fires burn around them because it’s not fair to abandon the 500 ostriches on their farm.
Pasitney’s mother’s farm and her ostriches survived wildfires in 2021. She says the decades-old birds have become like family.
The B.C. woman says not all of the birds have fallen sick, and some of the herd have resisted infection completely since it was first detected. She estimates around nine per cent of the 400-plus birds have died.
In a statement, the CFIA says it’s the first time they’ve detected avian flu in Canadian ostriches since they began responding to the highly pathogenic flu outbreak in December 2021.
Obligation to follow treaties
J. Scott Weese, a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, told CBC News in an email that a decision to cull animals at a farm is a cost-benefit decision, where the costs and benefits can’t be quantified easily.
“In general, culling makes more sense when there’s widespread infection, risk to people around the animals, limited other exposure risk, where disease is more severe and where there’s less value — economic, conservation, human-animal bond — of the animals,” he said.
But Weese added that H5N1 is now well established in Canada, and there may be less justification for culling from the standpoint of controlling disease.
WATCH | Poultry farms face avian flu threat:
Avian flu threatening B.C. poultry farms
10 days ago
Duration5:37Close to 80 poultry farms in B.C. have experienced avian flu outbreaks since the middle of October, according to the B.C. Poultry Association.
Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, a professor at the University of Montreal’s veterinary school, says Canada has signed a treaty with the WOAH, which means it has agreed on certain specific measures when it comes to controlling avian flu, like culls.
“Whether you’re in Europe or in Canada and [the] United States, it will be essentially the same reaction,” he said. “We try to extinguish the fire — so essentially the virus can’t feed and replicate if it has other birds around.”
Vaillancourt added that ostriches are no less susceptible to avian flu than other birds, especially over the past few years with the highly pathogenic variety, and could potentially carry the disease even if they aren’t symptomatic.
But Pasitney says the CFIA is losing an opportunity to study the genes of the birds who have resisted the flu, something the farm has been doing in its own time.
“We have 35-year-old birds here with genetics and DNA we’ll never get back,” she said. “So it’d be nice if we can all band together and [get] all the support we can get to make a policy change.”
In the CFIA’s letter to the farm, it says its assessment of the herd didn’t meet the bar to be considered a breed with “rare and valuable poultry genetics.”
“Robust processes must be in place (ex. genomic testing) to actively select and breed for specific desirable traits, with subsequent evidence that this genetic value is critical to the Canadian poultry industry,” the letter reads.
Still, Pasitney says she’s looking at her options to preserve the herd, and is asking the CFIA to extend the cull deadline beyond Feb. 1.
The penalty for disobeying the CFIA’s cull order is unclear. CBC News has reached out to the agency to find out more.
Clarifications
- This story has been clarified to reflect that Katie Pasitney’s mother and her mother’s business partner are the primary operators of Universal Ostrich.Jan 13, 2025 8:56 AM PST
Villagrande, falls during a hunting trip and suffers a head injury: the helicopter rescue is on site
He gave his cats raw milk because he thought it was healthier. He says it tragically backfired
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This photo provided by Joseph Journell of San Bernardino, Calif. shows two of his cats, Alexander, background, and Tuxsie, right, who died from bird flu after they drank raw cow’s milk. Cleo, center, did not drink the milk and remained healthy. (Joseph Journell via AP)Read More
2 of 2 |
This photo provided by Joseph Journell of San Bernardino, Calif. shows two of his cats drinking raw cow’s milk in November 2024 before the milk was recalled in December 2024 for containing H5N1 bird flu virus. Big Boy, left, was hospitalized, but survived. Alexander, right, died. (Joseph Journell via AP)Read More
https://apnews.com/article/raw-milk-california-cats-bird-flu-c3f6201216efb2a7e98ca143329a631a
By JONEL ALECCIAUpdated 5:06 AM PST, January 12, 2025Share
A California man whose two cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu risk says he meant to keep his beloved pets healthy, but his efforts tragically backfired.
“It’s horrible when you realize that you’re the one that actually gave them the milk that killed them,” said Joseph Journell, 56, of San Bernardino.
Journell lost his 14-year-old tabby, Alexander, and Tuxsie, a 4-year-old tuxedo cat, in late November. A third cat, 4-year-old Big Boy, was hospitalized for a week before tests showed the animal was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The cats drank unpasteurized milk from lots recalled by Raw Farm, of Fresno, whose dairy products were pulled from California store shelves in December after health officials found the virus in milk for sale, he said. The animals’ deaths were confirmed by state and county health officials. The cats were kept indoors, with no access to potentially infected birds, and ate conventional, not raw, pet food, the owner said.
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Journell said he had been drinking Raw Farm milk himself for several months because he heard it had “better immunity and healing properties” than pasteurized milk. He thought it might be able to help Alexander, who had been losing weight.
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“I was trying to make him healthier and make him live longer,” Journell said.
Instead, Alexander died on Thanksgiving Day. Tuxsie followed two days later.
Big Boy was hospitalized and treated with antiviral medications, Journell said. The veterinary team collected urine samples from the cat, which were confirmed positive for H5N1 at labs run by the U.S. Agriculture Department and Cornell University, records show.
Big Boy returned home blind and without the use of his back legs, though he is recovering, Journell said. A fourth cat, Cleo, didn’t drink the milk and remained healthy.
Journell has demanded that Raw Farm owner Mark McAfee compensate him for the more than $12,000 he spent treating the cats, according Seattle food safety lawyer Ilana Korchia, who is representing him.
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In an interview, McAfee disputed that the virus was capable of sickening the animals days after it was bottled and sold, citing preliminary research.
But Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said flu virus survival likely varies widely in different lots of milk. Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously confirmed that cats that drank raw milk from infected cows developed neurological disease and died.
“I think the poor cats are the best indicator!” Webby wrote in an email.
Nearly a dozen cats in California have died since early December after consuming raw milk or raw pet food contaminated with bird flu, health officials have said.
The infections have followed a massive outbreak of the bird flu virus in dairy cows, which has affected in more than 900 U.S. dairy herds in 16 states. About 80% of those herds are in California.
Federal and state health officials have warned people not to drink raw milk because of the potential for infection with bird flu and a host of other germs. Officials also have cautioned pet owners to avoid feeding unpasteurized milk and raw meat diets to their animals.
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“Cats should not be fed any products from affected farms if those products have not been thoroughly cooked or pasteurized to kill the virus,” the FDA warned last month.
After the cats got sick, Journell said he fell ill himself and sought care at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Fontana, Calif. He said he wasn’t checked for bird flu, despite his known exposure to the virus, because medical staff didn’t have tests available to detect it.
A Kaiser spokesperson declined to comment on Journell’s case specifically, but said the hospital system is following CDC guidelines for screening for bird flu.
Journell has recovered physically but said he’s still suffering from the “mental anguish” of losing his pets. Despite the ordeal, he said he still thinks raw milk offers some health benefits.
Nevertheless, he won’t be drinking it any time soon.
“Not right now,” he said. “And not in the foreseeable future.”
First US human death from bird flu is more serious than you may think
Exploring Kansas Outdoors: How to survive an unsuccessful deer season
Posted Jan 12, 2025 6:01 AM
By STEVE GILLILAND
As I left our deer blind this morning ahead of the approaching winter storm, the windows of my pickup were already icing over, and my driveway was so slick already, I nearly feel on my butt when I stepped out of the truck at home. That should have answered the nagging question “Did I stay long enough in the blind?” Yet here I sit, a little guy on my shoulder whispering in my ear “What a loser; you should have stayed loooonger!”
This has been a different and exasperating deer season for many hunters in my area.
Several local hunters have come away without harvesting deer, as the deer just don’t appear to be here. The moon was full or bright for much of the regular firearms season, raising the excuse that the deer were simply moving at night. That coupled with the unseasonably mild weather, makes that theory more than plausible.
But an avid deer hunter nearby told me he has seen fewer pictures on his cameras this year than any year he can remember. The three years of drought that has plagued our state might also be a factor, as drought affects fawn survival and forces deer to drink from stagnant water holes which foster diseases like Blue Tongue.
Around here, it always seems the nearer the river, the more deer there are.
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With that in mind, I was given the chance to hunt from a friend’s raised blind close to the river. He had gotten a buck there opening morning, but for the next several days, I saw a total of two small bucks. The owner even sat with me one morning this week during antlerless season as a second set of eyes, and we saw nothing.
The farmer just across the fence had counted 17 in the field well after dark one night as he worked in the field, again, lending credence to the theory that the deer were moving at night. But this morning ahead of the storm, a 13-year-old girl got her first deer from that blind, which happened to be the only deer they saw.
Volumes have been written instructing deer hunters how to have a successful deer season, but try as I might, I can’t find anything consoling those of us who failed to harvest a deer this year, or instructing us how to cope for the next twelve months.
So, besides giving you the names of the local psychiatrists and advising you to just go out and buy half a hog, I’ll try to offer some advice as coming from a deer hunter who’s been down that “empty freezer” road more than once.
First and foremost, you know how I feel about the term “unsuccessful” as it relates to any hunting trip or outdoor adventure. I live by the cliché that a bad day in the woods is still better than a good day at work or most other places for that matter.
I have to remind myself that watching the owl silently land in the tree in front of our blind, or hearing the wailing howls of coyotes help make the morning anything but “unsuccessful.”
Failure to harvest a deer doesn’t necessarily mean you did something wrong. If you missed an easy shot or spooked the deer by being seen, smelled or heard, yes, that was your mistake. But things beyond our control affect deer harvests also.
So, here’s my advice to all deer hunters who didn’t connect this year.
First, figure out how to correct mistakes that might have cost you your venison. This can include spending time at the range if you missed an easy shot.
Secondly, get permission to hunt more property. One cannot have too many places to hunt deer; it’s like having too much money! The more ground you can hunt, the better the odds of finding deer under any circumstance.
Last, and certainly not least, spend time in the field or woods with your binoculars. I grew up hunting Ohio whitetails with a group of guys that included a couple seasoned deer hunters. When deer season ended, it became a tradition to ask each other “Well, are you eating venison or bologna?” Pre-season scouting can often mean the difference between venison and bologna for the next twelve months.
Now that I’ve finished this week’s contribution, please excuse me while I get to work on recipes for my new cookbook, 101 Ways to Cook Bologna…
Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
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Don’t stuff sandhill crane hunt down throat of Wisconsin. It will only divide us | Opinion
Committee recommended the legislature direct the DNR “to authorize sandhill crane hunting in Wisconsin.” This bypasses the normal decision-making by the Natural Resources Board.
Tim Eisele, Dave Clausen and Mark Martin
Special to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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0:29
When the new legislature meets it should take recommendations of the Legislative Council’s Study Committee on sandhill cranes with a grain of salt.
The committee was established with the strong influence of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association which is trying to stuff a proposal to hunt sandhill cranes down the throats of Wisconsinites.
The study committee included the association’s vice president, plus representatives of the corn and potato growers’ associations. It would have been a miracle if they did not favor a hunting season on sandhill cranes.
Committee stacked testimony and findings in favor of hunt
The committee took selected testimony from Wisconsin Waterfowl Association Executive Director Bruce Ross and put it in the form of a Summary of Findings, which not everyone on the committee supported. In addition, the committee:
•Failed to heed the comments of past DNR waterfowl ecologist Kent Van Horn who in August said that a hunting season in the fall is no guarantee it would help crop depredations in the spring. Van Horn also made it clear the decision to open a hunting season on cranes is a social decision.
•Heard from invited speakers only, and did not invite hunters against the season to express their views.
•Based their recommendation on the Constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to hunt, fish and trap in Wisconsin. That amendment does not guarantee open seasons on all species in the state.
Opinion:Wisconsin has stable and growing sandhill crane population. A hunt shouldn’t cause rancor.
Opinion:Sandhill crane hunting season isn’t a fit for Wisconsin. It would further divide us.
•Overlooked that the DNR has not recommended opening a sandhill crane hunting season in Wisconsin.
The committee passed a recommendation for the legislature directing the DNR “to authorize sandhill crane hunting in Wisconsin.” This bypasses the normal decision-making by the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to open a season.
Setting seasons by the legislature is bad precedent, which later can’t easily be changed and it (intentionally) bypasses the established system of opening hunting and fishing seasons by the NRB. The NRB is where biological and sociological justifications come together and where any decision should be made.
If they had any legitimate intent to do what was right for Wisconsin, they would have recognized that the current crop damage law is flawed. It pays crop damage fees for species that are hunted, theoretically justifying a hunt if farmers are to get reimbursed.
Wildlife belongs to everyone and that law needs to be amended so that damages are funded with GPR funds so everyone can pay for damage to crops.
Sandhill crane season will only further divide hunters and nonhunters
The question, whether a sandhill crane season should be opened is part biological, but the real question is sociological: why?
Why isn’t a sandhill crane season appropriate for Wisconsin? The answer is evident to many who read Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac: “The trumpet in the orchestra of evolution,” as Leopold described the call of Sandhill cranes, are special to Wisconsinites.
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Letters to the Editor:I’ll take squawking over gunshots. Keep sandhill cranes off the kill list
Many surveys show that most citizens do not support a season. A season will only further divide hunters and non-hunters, when the opposite is needed. Hunting seasons differ from state to state. Look no further than Nebraska which has thousands of sandhill cranes and does not hunt cranes.
Not every state hunts every species, and Wisconsin does not need, and surveys show that a majority of citizens do not want, a hunting season on sandhill cranes.
Let’s bring hunters and non-hunters together so that both carry their fair share of funding for natural resources management, not further divide them.
Tim Eisele is a hunter and freelance outdoor writer/photographer. He has twice been the Conservation Communicator of the Year from the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and he is a member of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Dave Clausen is a life-long hunter, retired veterinarian and former Chair of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. Mark Martin is a hunter, member of Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, and wetland owner with nesting sandhill cranes. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 2023.
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