With waterfowl season underway, officials at Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources are cautioning hunters about the dangers of avian flu. John Brunjes is the department’s migratory bird program coordinator. He said avian flu has been diagnosed in snow geese in Western Kentucky.
“We’re starting to see potentially some cases here, where birds are getting this, so we just want hunters to be aware that you’ve potentially been exposed to it. And we want you to be aware that you know that your dog, if you have a retriever, and he’s retrieving ducks that it can be exposed.”
The second waterfowl hunting season of the year runs through Jan. 31 and hunters will be targeting wild ducks and geese. Brunjes said hunters should know a significant number of birds will have avian flu, which can be transmitted to people and other animals.
“If you see a bird that you think is sick, the best thing to do would be to report it to leave it alone and to report it to us. And let us go let us and somebody out there who’s got the proper gear to pick it up and not potentially be exposed to it.”
The department advises dressing birds in a well-ventilated area, washing hands for at least 20 seconds after touching them, and not feeding dogs raw or undercooked meat.
This article is republished with permission from WEKU. Read the original.
John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience. He comes to WEKU from The Woodford Sun, where he was editor while covering government meetings, reporting on community events and taking photographs. At the Sun, he won multiple awards for news and feature stories and columns. At WLEX-TV, John won a Midwest Regional Emmy for an investigative story about illegal dumping and in 2003, was named Best Television Reporter by the Kentucky Associated Press. In the Navy, he was named Print Journalist of the Year once and Navy Broadcaster of the Year twice. John’s radio experience includes news and starting a radio magazine show at NTC Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and co-hosting a morning news/talk show in Owensboro, Ky. while working for The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
