NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Bird flu has now been found in multiple black vultures at Landa Park in New Braunfels.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) said preliminary tests have confirmed that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was detected in the black vultures recovered from the park.
The detection in New Braunfels is just the latest across Texas, with more recent findings in Amarillo, El Paso, Galveston and Lubbock. Bird flu was also recently detected in North Austin after numerous dead ducks found at the Arboretum Shopping Center were tested.
Bird flu has been transmitted among wild birds across Texas as migratory birds like ducks and geese have been traveling to their winter homes in the south.
HPAI has been detected in all U.S. states. It spreads quickly among both wild and domestic birds, and can also transmit to mammals, including wild mammals and domestic cats. It has also been responsible for at least one human death in Louisiana.
TPWD is advising wildlife rehabilitators to be careful when taking in wild animals showing signs of HPAI and not to admit birds with HPAI symptoms.
TPWD is also asking people to limit unnecessary contact with wild birds, to stop feeding birds like ducks and geese that gather together in ponds, to remove bird feeders and bird baths and to clean bird feeders and baths several times a week with a 10% bleach solution if they choose to keep their bird feeders out.
The department also recommends not touching any birds that seem sick or are dead, and to make sure your pets don’t eat any wild birds.
TPWD says the risk of transmission from sick birds to humans is low, but that these measures will help prevent the spread of infection if birds can’t be avoided altogether.
Anyone who develops signs of illness after making contact with a bird that shows symptoms like: low energy, low appetite, nasal discharge, swollen head, eyes or wattle, or lack of coordination among other symptoms, should immediately contact their doctor, according to TPWD.
Anyone who sees a bird with those symptoms should contact their local TPWD wildlife biologist.