By:
Dr Hemlock
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Two snowy owls found dead at Tommy Thompson Park last month have both tested positive for avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
A local wildlife photographer who discovered the birds at the park on Dec. 27 previously told the Star he had suspected they died of rodenticide poisoning, but the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, who had received the owls for potential necropsies, said once bird flu is present, no full toxicology report will be conducted.
“Anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity is still a possibility … but there is no way for us to confirm it in these owls,” said Brian Stevens, veterinary pathologist at the co-operative, a research group that specializes in wildlife diseases at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph.
Dead and injured birds found in the city should be reported to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative or the Toronto Wildlife Centre.
“Do not touch, feed or handle birds or other wildlife to avoid potential exposure to avian flu,” Karen McDonald, senior manager of restoration and infrastructure at the TRCA, told the Star in a statement.
“If the bird is still alive and accessible from land (if the bird is along a shoreline) report to the Toronto Wildlife Centre,” said McDonald. “Any reports should include: species (if possible), exact location (approximate GPS co-ordinates and/or a map), number of individuals, date and time found, photos.”
The TRCA is actively “monitoring for other sick and dead birds around the park,” said McDonald.
Rodenticide, a common rat poison used to kill rodents that sometimes ends up in larger animals that eat them, is often under-reported in wildlife deaths because of the precautions around handling birds with avian influenza, according to Allison Hansen, co-founder and campaign director for Rodenticide Free Ontario, an organization that has lobbied city council to ban rodenticides in the past.
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