Hundreds of double-crested cormorants and gulls die of Newcastle disease

[Donna]

Saskatchewan

REGINA — Provincial environment officials suspect an outbreak of Newcastle disease is to blame for the deaths of hundreds of double-crested cormorants and gulls in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park and Jackfish Lake areas.

The Ministry of Environment said Friday that about 1,000 of the birds have been found dead and many more are sick.

"Just recently the necropsies were done and they found lesions that were consistent with Newcastle disease but right now we're still awaiting the tests that would confirm the presence of the Newcastle Disease Virus," said Yeen Ten Hwang, chief ecologist for the Ministry of Environment's fish and wildlife branch.

"The 1,000 birds have to be put into context of the actual population size. So we have a pretty healthy, an increasing, population of cormorants nesting in the area and we are looking at perhaps 1,000 out of tens of thousands of birds."

She said Newcastle disease has been documented in the Canadian prairies since the 1990s, so the discovery isn't a surprise. But the public is being alerted since the occurrence is in area with lots of public access.

"We want to make sure that people know about the disease outbreak as well as to remind them not to go and handle any dead birds. Although it does not have any health risks we still want to prevent people from contaminating themselves and the potentially bringing the virus to other areas of the province," she said.

In rare cases, the ministry said Newcastle disease has been known to cause conjunctivitis, or mild eye irritation, in people who have come into contact with many infected birds.

The strain of Newcastle disease is believed to be the kind that naturally circulates in wild cormorants, and not the virus strain that has caused problems for poultry farms in some countries, she said.

The ministry said affected birds show signs of partial paralysis of the wings and legs.

"Affected birds cannot fly or dive and some limp or fall over. Sick birds are often weak and unable to avoid approaching humans," the government said in a news release, which reminds people who come across sick or dead cormorants and gulls to report the finding to the nearest Ministry of Environment office.

It's suggested that anyone who has handled a sick or dead bird or visited a nesting colony in the affected areas should wash their hands and clothes immediately and disinfect any shoes and equipment with a five per cent bleach solution.