ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY, New York (WWNY) – The St. Lawrence shipping season is underway, weeks after ships were frozen in place before getting out of the channel.
A viewer sent a picture of the Algoma Bear, a Canadian bulk carrier heading upriver near Clayton.
As the shipping season starts, an Ontario wildlife center notes an uptick in avian flu.
Experts say it’s nothing to sound the alarm over.
Officials at the Sandy Pines Wildlife Center in Napanee, Ontario, west of Kingston, believe the increase in cases among swans, Canada geese and other predatory birds is because avian flu is easily transmitted when birds gather in groups.
Those groups of birds have gathered this winter in the few open water areas they could find.
“A lot of the water is frozen, so swans and other water birds will congregate wherever there is open water and when they are grouped together, it increases the spread of avian flu among the population,” said Aly Pankow, a registered veterinary technician at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre.
Signs of avian flu include neurological distress, swimming in circles, and the inability to hold the head up.
If you find a bird you suspect of having avian flu, the advice is to call a wildlife rehab center. The spread of avian flu to humans is very rare.
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