Christmas is coming, the geese are getting sick, and the world may be three mutations away from the next pandemic: the avian bird flu
A recent article in the Guardian suggests a poultry-based Christmas dinner may be off the cards for many Brits due to the colossal avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak.
The UK is currently facing the worst bird flu outbreak on record, with over 70 reported outbreaks in October alone. In past years, cases of bird flu tailed off in the spring, but this year has been unprecedented, with more than 230 outbreaks over the last 12 months.
Millions of birds have been culled
Millions of birds have been culled, including those at Suffolk-based Gressingham Foods – a leading duck, turkey and geese supplier – who have been hit with 46 cases of bird…
Victor, N.Y. —New York State Police say a 64-year-old man died in an ATV accident in Victor on Thanksgiving Day.
Joseph Nolan of Eagle Bay, Herkimer County, was hunting and using an ATV near a relative’s home. After relatives couldn’t didn’t hear from him, they went looking for him and found him dead under the ATV.
An ongoing outbreak of a deadly strain of bird flu has now killed more birds than any past flare-up in U.S. history.
The virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, has led to the deaths of 50.54 million domestic birds in the country this year, according to Agriculture Department data reported by Reuters on Thursday. That figure represents birds like chickens, ducks and turkeys from commercial poultry farms, backyard flocks and facilities such as petting zoos.
The count surpasses the previous record of 50.5 million dead birds from a 2015 outbreak, according to Reuters.
On farms, some birds die from the flu directly, while in other cases, farmers kill their entire flocks to prevent the virus from spreading after one bird tests positive. Such farmers have occasionally drawn condemnation from animal welfare advocates for using a culling method known as “ventilation shutdown plus,” which involves sealing off the airways to a barn and pumping in heat to kill the animals.
Pelicans suspected to have died from highly pathogenic avian influenza are seen on a beach in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 24.
The migration of infected wild birds has been a major cause of the spread. Health and wildlife officials urge anyone who keeps domestic birds to prevent contact with their wild counterparts.
While health experts do not generally consider highly pathogenic avian influenza to be a major risk to mammals, a black bear cub in Alaska was euthanized earlier this month after contracting the virus. Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen told the Juneau Empire newspaper that the young cub had a weak immune system.
Over the summer, avian flu also spread among seals in Maine, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believed contributed to an unusually high number of seal deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the risk “to the general public” from the bird flu outbreak is low. However, the agency recommends precautions like wearing personal protective equipment and thoroughly washing hands for people who have prolonged contact with birds that may be infected.
In April, a Colorado prisoner working at a commercial farm became the first person in the U.S. to test positive for the new strain, though he was largely asymptomatic.
Irena Cara, best known for her work on Flashdance and Fame, has passed away at the age of 63. Her publicist broke the news on social media (via Deadline) and a cause of death has not been provided at this time. She will be remembered for her numerous award-winning contributions to the world of music and acting.
Irena Cara performed and co-wrote the song “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” for the film Flashdance, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Original Song along with a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Cara started from humble beginnings, mostly doing small performances on Spanish-language television.
Before Irena Cara would win her awards for Flashdance, the role that really launched her into stardom was in the 1980 film Fame directed by Alan Parker. Although she was originally hired on the film as a dancer, the role of Coco Hernadez was re-written for her after several producers and screenwriter Christopher Gore heard her sing. Cara would go on to record the title song “Fame” and the song “Out Here on My Own” for the film.
This turned out to be a great decision, as Irena Cara helped the Fame soundtrack become a multi-platinum album and she would even help the film win some Oscars, though she wouldn’t take home one herself until Flashdance. The Oscar for Best Original Song went to Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford for writing the music and lyrics for “Fame.” Gore would also take home the Oscar for Best Score that year.
FILE – Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, made famous by the television show “Whale Wars” discusses a recent legal battle over anti-whaling activities, at his home office in Woodstock, Vermont, Aug. 23, 2016.
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HALIFAX, CANADA —
Canadian-American eco-warrior Paul Watson, ousted from the Sea Shepherd conservationist organization he founded, says he is back in business with a new ship and crew and is ready to resume tormenting the world’s whalers and others he sees as despoilers of the world’s oceans.
“After being knocked down, we have fully recovered and we’re ready to return to battle on the high seas,” Watson declared in a digital announcement earlier this month. “The new Captain Paul Watson Foundation is here and it’s ready to aggressively take on all enemies that look to do harm to our ocean and our planet.”
UPDATE: (2 p.m. Nov. 25, 2022) – Authorities have released more details on a Kanawha County hunting accident that sent one man to the hospital.
According to the Kanawha County Game Warden, a father and son were riding a side-by-side through bumpy terrain about one mile in the woods near Charles Lane in Alum Creek when a loaded firearm went off and shot the father in the abdomen.
Authorities say he was alert and able to drive the side-by-side the rest of the way in from the woods, and the son called 911 for medical assistance. The man was taken to the hospital, but there is no further update on his condition.
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According to the game warden, the father and son did have all the proper permits and were given…
(Bloomberg) — A group of children and young adults including Greta Thunberg have filed a class action lawsuit against the Swedish state for failing to take adequate measures to stop climate change.
It follows a high-profile case in the Netherlands, where the country’s highest court ruled in 2019 that the government had a legal obligation to take action to mitigate…
An area organization accepting donations on behalf of the family has identified the name of the child who was killed in a hunting accident on Sunday, November 20. Unimaginable Hope says 11-year-old Easton Thom was the victim of the hunting accident in Green Lake County. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said a 41-year-old man attempted to unload his firearm while it was placed in the back seat of a vehicle when the firearm discharged, striking Thom in the chest. Officials say the boy was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where he died. Thom’s death was one of six incidents across the state of Wisconsin on opening weekend, double the number of opening weekend incidents in 2021.
Snow geese flock by the thousands at Summer Lake in southern Oregon. An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in both wild birds and backyard flocks has killed thousands of wild and domesticated birds throughout the state, including some migrating snow geese.Terry Richard/The Oregonian
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An outbreak of highly pathogenicavian fluin both wild birds and backyard flocks has killed thousands of birds throughout the state, Oregon wildlife and agriculture officials say.
The disease, typically known as bird flu, has been detected in almost every county in Oregon. Its current strain is especially deadly for wild birds, which are dying in larger numbers than during previous outbreaks.
The number of backyard flocks – which include chickens, ducks and other domesticated birds…
By Mark Heinz, Outdoors Reporter Mark@CowboyStateDaily.com
Three accidental shootings in three days during Nebraska’s deer season, and the memory of a fatal hunting accident in Wyoming last year, bring home the point that hunters can’t ever take gun safety for granted.
“I won’t allow a loaded rifle into my truck. Ever. Period,” Greybull hunter and trapper John Eckman told Cowboy State Daily.
He and other Wyoming outdoorsmen also said that a hunting rifle should always be carried with the firing chamber empty. Hunters don’t need to chamber a round until they’ve got a clear, safe shot lined up on big game animal, they said.
“Never, ever, ever chamber a round until you’re ready to shoot,” noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich of Pinedale told Cowboy State Daily.
