What’s your first thought when you hear that up to 1,500 migrating snow geese mysteriously died in the wetlands in central Kansas? If guessed bird flu…you’re right. Testing revealed that the birds died of avian influenza in the Cheyenne Bottoms in central Kansas. While the avian flu impact raises alarm, compared with the overall population at the wetlands, the impacted snow goose population is a small portion. That is a pretty small number as there are nearly 4 million birds at the Cheyanne Bottoms.
Officials are encouraging people not to handle sick birds and to not bring your hunting clothes to your own flock. Hunters are encouraged to change their clothes and disinfect their tires before driving back to their own flocks of birds. And, not to let birds free range. Wagner emphasized that there are ways to protect other birds from avian flu.
