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Thai authorities recently confiscated over 346 tonnes of illegally imported chicken feet from a cold storage facility in Samut Sakhon province in an effort to curb the spread of avian influenza.

Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director-general of the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), stated that the department had collaborated with the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) to inspect the cold storage facility of a company in Mueang Samut Sakhon district following complaints about illegal imports of poultry carcasses, specifically chicken feet, without authorisation.

A covert investigation revealed that a portion of the confiscated chicken feet originated from Brazil, where avian influenza outbreaks have been reported. Upon inspecting the cold storage facility, authorities found large quantities of frozen chicken feet packaged in bags and boxes indicating production sources from Brazil, Chile, Turkey and Germany.

An examination of the facility’s deposit records confirmed a total of 346,390 kilograms, or approximately 346.39 tonnes, of stored chicken feet, an act deemed illegal under Sections 22 and 31 of the Animal Epidemics Act BE 2558 (2015).

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The DLD subsequently seized all the chicken feet and filed legal complaints against the perpetrators. Additionally, they planned to coordinate with the Customs Department to pursue relevant charges under the Customs Act.

The department also intends to collaborate with the Central Investigation Bureau to trace the masterminds and networks involved in the smuggling operation.

For the confiscated chicken feet, DLD officials collected random samples and sent them for laboratory analysis to detect any hazardous pathogens, particularly avian influenza, to assess the health risks to animals and ensure consumer safety.

DLD officials noted that this operation aligns with Agriculture Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat and Deputy Agriculture Minister Itthi Sirilathayakorn’s policy to crack down on the illegal import of livestock products. 

The objective is to prevent foreign disease outbreaks, protect domestic consumers, and maintain a fair livestock market for Thai farmers.

by: Karina F. Garcia

Posted: Jun 6, 2025 / 06:33 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 6, 2025 / 06:34 PM EDT

SHARE https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/migratory-birds-develop-antibodies-to-bird-flu-officials-say/

(WAVY) – Wildlife officials are keeping a close eye on the spread of avian influenza after nearly 300 birds were found dead along the North Carolina coast earlier this year — most of them brown pelicans. The outbreak has since been linked to the H5N1 strain of bird flu, a virus that continues to mutate and occasionally jump to other species, raising concern among experts.

Miranda Turner, a wildlife health biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said the area is a prime wintering ground for birds — making it easier for disease to spread.

“When you bring a lot of animals together and you have them traveling from different locations, it’s a really good way to transmit diseases,” Turner said.

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In Hampton Roads, bird flu outbreaks aren’t new. Lisa Barlow, president of Tidewater Rehabilitation and Environmental Education, recalls treating sick and dying Canada geese during a 2021 outbreak on the Lafayette River.

“We dealt with about three to four dozen Canada geese that came in sick and dying,” Barlow said. “Only six survived the flu, and even those had to be euthanized due to severe neurological symptoms.”

Barlow described birds arriving unable to hold their heads up, their beaks caked in mud. Many died within 24 hours.

As the virus continues to affect wildlife, it’s not just birds at risk. The virus has jumped to mammals, including seals, cats and even cattle. Experts say it’s mutated at least several times since it was first identified.

“I mean, anything that can do that — it’s kind of frightening, but amazing,” Barlow said.

Despite the concerning spread, health officials emphasize the risk to humans remains low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 human cases have been reported nationwide, including one death. Most infections have been among people with repeated exposure to infected animals, such as poultry or dairy farm workers.

“There’s really low risk,” Turner said. “Still, it’s a good idea to clean bird feeders regularly and wear gloves or a mask if you handle injured wildlife.”

Barlow also urges caution for those who come across sick birds.

“If you do want to help, wear gloves, protect yourself,” she said. “Common sense goes a long way.”

Meanwhile, as migratory birds continue to interact and spread the virus, some are developing natural antibodies, according to Turner.

“They’re bouncing back and creating herd immunity,” she said.

Last week, the Associated Press reported the Trump administration canceled $766 million in funding meant to support Moderna’s development of a bird flu vaccine. The vaccine, which uses mRNA technology similar to the COVID-19 vaccine, had shown early promise in clinical trials.

For now, wildlife officials say they expect to see more outbreaks in the years ahead, especially during peak migration periods.

“Because this virus is so common in migratory birds, it is likely that we will continue to see cases here and there every winter,” Turner said.

As of right now, there have been no confirmed human cases of H5N1 in Virginia and although the risk remains low for humans, for birds it can be extremely deadly – leading to large die-off events like the ones we saw near Cape Hatteras.

“Unfortunately, this was the first kind of major large scale mortality event… while it looks really bad at that small scale of seeing 300 brown pelicans die – it’s not impacting their population as a whole or the species as a whole,” adds Turner.

Turner also explains that the surviving pelicans are still there, “The brown pelicans that did survive that event were still nesting on that island successfully and are doing well. So really, it’s a short scale kind of scary looking event, but nothing that raises alarm for biologists in the long term.”

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Sage MarshallJun 5, 2025

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently announced a slew of eye-popping poaching busts involving two of the state’s most heavily restricted—and sought after—marine species: chinook salmon and white sturgeon.

The most noteworthy case stemmed from an investigation into a Dungeness crab trafficking ring that led officials to discover that their lead suspect was also poaching salmon from the American River. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was found with over 150 pounds of salmon roe meant for the black market. Officials say that collecting that much roe required poaching at least 75 salmon.

Salmon fishing on the American River, which is a tributary of the Sacramento River—and throughout California—has been shuttered for the past two years due to low population estimates. This year, the state is holding a highly regulated recreational ocean salmon season as well as sport fishing on the Mokelumne, Feather, and American rivers, beginning in mid-July. The CDFW did not disclose the potential charges that the salmon roe trafficker will face, but local anglers who’ve had to wait two years to fish for chinook salmon will certainly be hoping for serious punishments.

Meanwhile, the CDFW says its Special Operations Unit and Delta Bay Enhanced Enforcement Program have also been looking for white sturgeon poachers. The state’s white sturgeon fishing is currently catch-and-release only as biologists work to assess whether the species should be listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

Two angling groups on the Sacramento River were observed tying off illegally possessed sturgeon 100 yards from where they were fishing “in an effort to evade wildlife officers.” Officials issued citations and released the fish in both instances, and charges are pending.

Meanwhile, two other individuals were formally charged with the take of an endangered or threatened species for sturgeon poaching. One of those accused poachers had a criminal record of wildlife crimes involving illegally snagging salmon on the American River.

California has dealt with sturgeon poaching long before the species was closed to catch-and-keep angling. White sturgeon, which are a notoriously slow growing fish, are prized for their caviar. In 2022, for instance, CDFW uncovered a massive poaching and black-market operation involving at least eight individuals.

“Wildlife officers’ patrols confirm sturgeon and salmon poaching continue during the fisheries’ closures,” wrote a CDFW spokesperson this week. “Well-organized criminal networks were observed employing advanced counter surveillance techniques, underscoring the continued high demand and profitability of illegal caviar trafficking.”

Images via California Department of Fish and Wildlife Facebook.

By: Joshua Haiar – June 5, 2025 4:26 pm

 A beaver at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. (Larry Palmer/USFWS)

Citing a population decline and degraded habitat, South Dakota officials have advanced a plan to halt beaver trapping in the Black Hills for two years.

The plan will block trapping during the 2025 and 2026 seasons in the Black Hills Fire Protection District. Trapping would remain open in the rest of the state. The state legislature’s Rules Review Committee will need to approve the moratorium. 

In 2012, biologists saw 60 food caches — piles of woody vegetation built by beavers for winter — in the Black Hills. By 2023, they recorded only 16. Beavers occupied 52% of Black Hills watersheds in 2012, but just 23% in 2023.

Beavers once numbered in the thousands in the Black Hills and the millions nationwide, but their numbers began to decline with the onset of fur trapping by European settlers. Officials said habitat loss, not modern trapping, is to blame for current population declines. But they also said they don’t want trapping to contribute to the problem.

“The limiting factor is habitat degradation,” said John Kanta, section chief with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. 

Only one beaver trapping was reported in the Black Hills last season.

Without beaver dams, faster-flowing water cuts stream channels too deep for beavers to work with. Cattle also trample streambanks, leaving  fewer willow and aspen for beavers to feed on.

A closed trapping season will help protect the beavers that are being reintroduced, officials say. Game, Fish and Parks is working with the U.S. Forest Service and volunteer groups to restore habitat through tree planting and manmade dams, and nuisance beavers from urban areas are being relocated to the improved habitats.

“It’s a wonderful step,” said Hans Stephenson, owner of Dakota Angler & Outfitter in Rapid City and a volunteer for the restoration efforts. 

Beaver dams raise the water table, slow water flow, and create habitat that supports everything from aquatic insects to the brown and rainbow trout favored by anglers, Stephenson said.

Alex Solem, senior wildlife biologist with Game, Fish and Parks, emphasized the broader ecological role beavers play. 

“Any time there’s beaver around, usually, it signals a really healthy ecosystem,” Solem said.

If more Black Hills streams had beaver dams, he said, floodplain soils would hold more water, support grazing, mitigate flooding and lessen the dangers of drought and wildfires.

In addition to the moratorium, officials adopted a new threshold-based framework to guide future decisions. Under that framework, trapping season would reopen if  beaver occupancy in monitored watersheds rose above 80%, Occupancy between 50% and 79% would open the door to resident-only, private-land trapping. Levels below 50%, like now, would trigger automatic closure.