Avian Flu Update

By Ed Carroll

There's been a lot of ink spilled warning the world of the dangers posed by new strains of avian flu, and it seems likely the alarm will sound again sometime soon. A lot of birds have been examined in extensive and ongoing testing in the interim, and so far the emerging understanding is that the highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu known as H5N1 has not yet reached North America.
[img 1 right caption=Field crews for the US Fish & Wildlife Service sampled waterfowl along the coast of Alaska this year and found no birds infected with the dangerous new form of bird flu. (Photo courtesy of the US F&WS)]
Government scientists spanning the disparate disciplines from migratory bird biology to agricultural food safety, human health and global pandemic response have been on hyper alert across the country this year. The biologists, though, were the early warning system, with Americans looking for evidence in the mixing zone where Pacific Flyway birds mingle with Asian populations, and Canadian scientists monitoring the less-likely possibility of the disease reaching the Atlantic Flyway by way of Europe. By the end of August more than 13,000 birds had been tested in Alaska, including some shot by Native subsistence hunters in the spring and those captured by US Fish and Wildlife Service crews on summer breeding grounds. A multi-agency cooperative goal seeks to test 75,000 to 100,000 birds before the end of 2006, including many shot by waterfowlers this fall. The effort will follow the birds as they migrate and will rely largely on the work of state wildlife agencies throughout the flyways.

Nicholas Throckmorton, a spokesman for the USF&WS, said hunters can expect to see state agencies developing field sampling stations and informing the public about how to report dead wild birds. (To see a national map showing birds sampled by state, visit http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/.)

When or if H5N1 is discovered in migratory birds, Throckmorton said the agency foresees no broad impact on hunting. Because the only cases of H5N1 transmission to humans have come through extensive contact with infected domestic poultry, an infected wild bird handled hygienically and cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees should pose little risk. It is possible, Throckmorton said, that the disease could cause noticeable die-offs of wild birds, and in that case hunters may expect to see localized closures or hunting bans required by state or federal agencies. He also said that, unlike with diseases affecting other game animals, "Culling wild birds is not an effective management strategy" toward limiting the spread of highly pathogenic avian flu.

For all of this effort, wild birds are not the most likely source for introducing H5N1 to North America, according to Throckmorton, and wild birds are a truly unlikely source for transmitting the disease to humans. "Our surveillance is essentially an early warning system for the poultry industry," he said, adding that protecting domestic flocks from infected wild birds will depend upon understanding the extent and geography of the disease in the wild.

The two likely modes for introducing the virus here are at least as difficult to monitor as millions of waterfowl: One infected person on an inbound jetliner or one smuggling case that delivers infected poultry or illegal wildlife to our shores.

Traveling wingshooters also appear to have little cause for concern from avian flu-at least this year. Early in the summer one dead swan that washed up on the Scottish shore gave estate managers and shoot organizers across the UK a huge scare, threatening to disrupt orders for and production of the hundreds of thousands of birds raised for release. The British government has developed a similar all-out multi-agency pandemic plan and has included sportsmen's groups like the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (www.basc.org.uk) in its monitoring strategy.

"A few [shoots] have put out fewer birds," said British gunmaker, shooting instructor and trip organizer Chris Batha. "They're limiting their risks." He added that clients will need to negotiate refund policies on a case-by-case basis if they want to be protected from the impact of cancelled shoots in the future. "I wouldn't take a refund," Batha said. "I'd hold it over until the next year, because the whole thing will sort itself out."

"Confidence is certainly strong enough right now," said Atkin Grant & Lang's Ken Duglan, who organizes shoots on the Corsewall Estate, in Southwestern Scotland. "The whole thing flared up and then went quiet." Duglan echoed Batha's belief that smaller and reputable shoots will offer refunds or hold clients' deposits and places for the season following any cancellation.

Milton Hanburry, president of Trek International Safaris, said that he has discussed with travel insurers the possibility of protecting wingshooting trips from potential cancellation due to bird flu. "Obviously, there's concern that one day we may see this thing spread and become a determining factor in making travel plans," Hanburry said.

Again, all seems safe for now, but for the most current information on all aspects of monitoring for a bird flu outbreak, visit www.pandemicflu.gov.

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