The Grey-Bruce Health Unit is using dead birds as an early detector for West Nile Virus.
Infectious Diseases Program Manager Susan Shular says starting now, they’ll be collecting dead crows, blue jays and ravens for surveillance.
Shular says if a bird has died for no apparent reason, or had been acting strangely before it died, they’d like you to report it to Public Health.
They then send the animal to the Canadian Wildlife Association for testing.
She says this way they can track the amount of dead birds in our area, and where it seems the West Nile Virus is most prominent.
Shular says if you notice a dead bird, and it’s still fresh, to call the health unit and they’ll come collect the bird.
She says it’s even better – if you are comfortable enough – to double bag it and freeze it until officials can come pick it up.
Shular says even if the bird isn’t fresh, it’s still important to report for tracking purposes.
However, she says the bird should be buried at least two feet deep in soil that won’t be disturbed – and you should never handle a dead bird with bare hands.
The Grey-Bruce Health Unit is tracking dead birds from now until September.
This is the fifth year they are doing testing.
