Avian Flu Found In Wright County Wild Bird, 70 Flocks Across MN

WRIGHT COUNTY, MN — As the highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread among commercial poultry flocks in Minnesota and across the U.S., the number of wild birds with the virus is also climbing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the virus last month in a merganser in Wright County, the first in the county that has been found with the virus.

The avian flu was first detected March 25 in Minnesota. The virus has since been confirmed in 45 wild birds in Minnesota, while the number of birds affected in commercial and backyard flocks climbed to almost 2.9 million, as of Friday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s data dashboard.

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The USDA has confirmed avian flu outbreaks in 57 commercial flocks and 13 backyard flocks in Minnesota.

Minnesota leads the U.S. in turkey production, with almost 700 farms producing about 40 million birds per year, the Associated Press reports.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health imposed a temporary ban on poultry sales and exhibitions in April that included all poultry community sales, swaps, fairs, exhibitions and other events where poultry and other birds are brought into close contact.

Minnesota state lawmakers last month approved $1 million in emergency funding to fight the quickly growing outbreak in Minnesota for the next few weeks while the legislature was not in session.

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Minnesota Agriculture Department Commissioner Thom Peterson on Monday told lawmakers officials will need $3 million more to fight the avian flu outbreak, Agweek reports.

The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota released a great horned owl back into the wild last week after helping it recover from the avian flu.

“This great horned owl’s recovery is an exception to this typically fatal virus for raptors, and we are finding joy in its recovery and release!” The Raptor Center said on Facebook.

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More than 37.5 million birds have been affected across America, as of Friday, with outbreaks among 172 commercial flocks and 120 backyard flocks, according to the USDA.

The avian flu has hit hardest in Iowa, where more than 13.3 million birds have been affected, as of May 4, the USDA’s dashboard shows.