MONROE, Wash. — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed bird flu is to blame for the deaths of dozens of birds at Monroe’s Lake Tye Park.
According to officials, it is now just a matter of waiting for the disease to run its course. In the meantime, warning signs have been posted all over the park, urging people to stay away from the birds.
Last week, KIRO 7 paid a visit to Lake Tye Park and witnessed a bird likely suffering from the infection. It struggled to stand, stumbling around in circles before taking flight and crashing into a building.
“It is disturbing to watch,” said Staci Lehman, communications manager at WDFW. ”It’s tough to see any animal, whether wild or domestic, suffer like that.”
More than 30 birds were found in a matter of days last week. WDFW was called in to test some of the carcasses, which confirmed they had bird flu.
WDFW said it has not recorded the total number of deaths in and around the park.
Lehman said WDFW is tracking cases around the state, but Monroe saw the biggest cluster yet.
“At this point, that is the biggest number we have seen,” she said.
It’s not just in the wild. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reported a poultry facility was put under quarantine after bird flu was found there.
It said employees are being monitored for illness and disease control measures are being taken.
Lehman said the most important step people can take is not to handle any wild birds, living or dead. Those who must are urged to wear protective equipment, double bag the carcass, and put it deep in their trash can so no scavengers can eat it.
“We understand some people really want to help, so they think, ‘Hey, I can nurse this bird back to health’ or something like that,” Lehman said. “That’s why we ask you to call the department and let the professionals deal with it.”
The state department of health reports three cases in humans so far this year, one of which was fatal.
WDFW reports that two employees who handled the birds in Monroe are self-monitoring for symptoms, which is standard procedure.