Birds taken off-exhibit at zoo over flu fears
Pelicans, penguins, swans and storks were among the birds taken off-exhibit Tuesday morning at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore over worries about the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The virus has been detected on farms in Cecil and Queen Anne’s counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. It can spread from wildfowl to domestic flocks but doesn’t pose an immediate threat to humans.
For now, the zoo has mainly sheltered birds with exhibits that are open to the sky and contain larger water features, to keep the birds from coming into contact with migrating waterfowl, zoo spokesman Mike Evitts said.
“We were seeing mallards and some other birds actually sharing the water with them, so they needed to go inside for their protection,” Evitts said.
But the zoo has also closed its aviaries to foot traffic, partly due to concerns that visitors could contribute to the affliction’s spread.
“People can track in the disease from, like, bird poop on their shoes without knowing,” Evitts said.
Some of the zoo’s birds remain on display, including an eagle and snowy owl. The zoo’s African penguin “ambassadors,” which are accustomed to encounters with guests, will be available for visits by reservation, but they’ll do so under a tent, and visitors will have to walk through a sanitizing station first, Evitts said.
Initially, the zoo’s plan was to move birds indoors if a case was detected in Baltimore or one of the five surrounding counties, Evitts said. But concerns about the spread of virus and how well it’s being tracked in migratory species on this side of the Chesapeake Bay, prompted a change in plans, Evitts said.
Nearly 13 million chicken, turkeys and other birds have been or are expected to be killed in the U.S. because of the bird flu, according to the Associated Press.
“We thought this was the right move for our birds, even though there have not been any cases,” Evitts said.
If a case is discovered in the Baltimore area, all of the zoo’s birds will be taken off-exhibit, Evitts said. Already, Maryland has placed limits on the movement of poultry and poultry litter as a result of the cases on the Eastern Shore.
In the meantime, the zoo is limiting the number of keepers who come into contact with the birds to care for them and focusing on sanitization procedures, Evitts said.
“Every person who walks in is a potential exposure if they’re not properly sanitized,” he said.
Although flamingos, ostriches and other zoo favorites are sequestered for the moment, there’s still plenty to do at the zoo, Evitts said. The grizzly bears are waking up from hibernation, the African animals accustomed to warmer temperatures are out and about, and the cherry trees are blossoming with the arrival of spring, Evitts said.
In addition, the zoo is teasing a “blockbuster new experience” for May through November. More details are to be released next month.
For now, though, the focus is on keeping the zoo’s bird species safe.
“We have rare and endangered birds in our collection, and their well-being is paramount to everything that we do,” Evitts said.