Salmonella outbreak prompts removal of backyard bird feeders in B.C.

||| FROM VANCOUVER SUN |||

A salmonella outbreak in the B.C. avian population has prompted the B.C. SPCA to ask the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders.

The B.C. SPCA is asking the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders in order to stop the spread of a deadly salmonella outbreak that has spread throughout the province. PHOTO BY BC SPCA FILE PHOTO

The pine siskin, a small brown and streaked bird in the finch family, has been hit hard by illness caused by the bacteria.

The B.C. SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre has admitted 43 pine siskins so far in January, with many of them showing signs of disease but few surviving. The salmonella outbreak has spread across the continent, with many U.S. conservation associations also recommending the removal of bird feeders.“2021 has gotten off to a rough start for pine siskins on southern Vancouver Island and the rest of the province with a deadly outbreak of salmonella,” Andrea Wallace, the B.C. SPCA’s manager of wild animal welfare, said in a news release. “Salmonella is a severe and contagious disease so we’re asking people to temporarily remove — or at the very least clean — their bird feeders and bird baths to prevent further spread of the disease.”

Bird feeders are well-used in the winter months — the B.C. SPCA encourages use only between October and March — as there is plenty of naturally available food for birds in the spring and summer.If you spot a sick bird at your feeder or in the area, the B.C. SPCA recommends you immediately remove and clean your bird feeders to help curb the disease. Sick birds may appear lethargic, show signs of irritation around the eyes, or seem unusually “fluffed up.”

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