Teton Raptor Center confirms first Avian Influenza case in Jackson Hole
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza found in great horned owl
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Teton Raptor Center today confirmed a case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a great horned owl, admitted to the bird facility earlier this week. It is the first such case recorded in Teton County.
On April 13, Teton Raptor Center admitted a great horned owl located in Jackson that was found exhibiting symptoms of the Avian Flu. On Monday, April 18, that diagnosis was confirmed after results returned from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s wildlife health laboratory confirmed that the owl tested positive for the disease.
HPAI has surged throughout the country during the spring migration season and is now in Teton County, Wyoming. This rapidly spreading virus is commonly seen in waterfowl and other flocking birds and is categorized as a zoonotic disease, meaning that it is transmissible to humans. The disease is transmissible to humans. Typical flu symptoms are exhibited (e.g., fever, cough, and sore throat), but the disease is rarely fatal. There is no cure for birds that test positive for HPAI.
Symptoms in birds include irregular spinning body movements, uncontrolled head rolling, and other abnormal neurological movements followed by sudden death. This virus is shed in the feces and respiratory secretions of infected birds and can survive at cool temperatures.
If multiple waterfowl or a bird that eats waterfowl (such as eagles, falcons, or great horned owls) are found exhibiting these symptoms or are found dead near ponds or areas surrounding bird feeders, there is a high likelihood that the bird(s) contracted HPAI.
Teton Raptor Center is fully-equipped to safely manage situations regarding HPAI at its campus replete with new, state-of-the-art facilities that allow for quarantine zones. Additionally, staff who are working with these birds are trained in mitigating risks associated with zoonotic diseases.
Teton Raptor Center worked closely with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to collect oral and cloacal swabs for testing. However, with many signs and symptoms of HPAI present, and given the high transmissibility of the disease, Teton Raptor Center took the owl into a quarantine zone and humanely euthanized the bird.
“Teton Raptor Center is well-equipped to handle HPAI, should it enter our clinic,” said Sheena Patel, TRC’s acting avian care director. “Our new facilities provide our team with the right tools for the job and we are taking necessary measures to protect our birds and staff from getting sick. We are stocked and supplied with appropriate PPE for these cases in order to reduce the risks of spreading HPAI.”
Anyone who encounters a bird acting abnormally or a mass death event among birds in one given area, should not hesitate to call and report these findings. Teton Raptor Center also recommends considering actions to mitigate the gathering of birds in areas such as at bird baths or bird feeders, where opportunity for transmission is heightened.
Please report any suspected cases of HPAI to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department at (307) 733-2321 or directly to Teton Raptor Center at (307) 203-2551, ext.1.
