Island wildlife rescue facility implements avian flu precautions
Staff and volunteers at the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) in Merville are busy securing their property after the recent discovery of a case of avian flu in the Comox Valley.
Safety measures include closing the facility's visitor centre to the public, as well as covering up its bird enclosures and limiting access to the property.
“This is a first for us, at least since I’ve been here, we’ve never had to do anything quite this intensive before in terms of quarantines and precautions,” says Kiersten Shyian, assistant manager of wildlife rehabilitation for MARS.
The precautions are being taken in order to protect the society’s “ambassador birds” and patients that are currently in the group’s wildlife hospital.
“We have a barrier now so people can’t get any closer to the hospital, we will be coming out to pick up patients from the public, we are doing a whole bunch of different sanitizing measures and things like that,” Shyian says.
Triage and safety protocols have been introduced to ensure no infected animals are brought into the hospital, but there are also safety measures being carried out to prevent wild birds from bringing in the infection.
“We are actually tarping over the roof of our ambassador enclosures, just to try to discourage any wild birds from landing on top and ending up pooping in their enclosure, so they do still have access to the elements but we are topping all the tops of the enclosures,” says Shyian.
Signage has also been placed on the property to notify the public that the centre is having to decline the donation of any poultry, waterfowl or eggs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.