West Nile Virus (WNV) was first identified in Dane County in 2001, in a dead crow. Multiple WNV positive birds have been found in Dane County every year since then. For this reason, the emergence of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus (WNV) in Wisconsin, and specifically in Dane County, has created the need for a public health response. The following is information about WNV, the illness that may result, and Madison's public health response.

If you find die offs involving 10 or more dead birds of the same species or from different species in the same place you should contact the Defra Helpline 08459 33 55 77, 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday. Wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people. Dead birds should not be handled unnecessarily for hygiene reasons. The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens consider that the risk of transmission of HPAI from wild birds is small.

After reporting a dead crow or blue jay, the bird can be picked up and disposed of in the household garbage by placing a plastic bag over your hand, picking up the bird with the covered hand, and pulling the bag around the bird. While West Nile Virus is not easily transmitted to humans by handling an infected bird, it is prudent to avoid touching sick or dead birds with bare hands. Double bagging and sealing or tightly tying the bag shut should help prevent odors in the garbage.

If you find dead wild gulls, waders, ducks, geese or swans and you are within a survey area or unsure whether you are in a surveillance area please contact the Defra Helpline 08459 33 55 77, 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday. You will be asked for details of your finding and its location. Please see the wild bird surveillance pages for more information. If you find any other single dead birds, including garden birds then you do not need to call the Defra helpline.

Please report these without delay so that we can discuss with you and provide advice on the next steps.

It is always sensible to prevent pets eating wild bird or other animal carcases given that there is the possibility that the death could have been caused by poisoning or from a severe bacterial infection or the carcase could have been deliberately poisoned for use as a bait.

Dead in shell can be caused by a number of different problems. A careful examination of the egg is necessary to know at which point in the development of the embryo the chick died. Embryos dead in the shell are also commonly caused by a deficiency of iodine. Once supplementation begins, my own experience has shown a drop from as high as an 80% mortality rate to a rate of less than 10%. Very little iodine is needed, but that trace amount is crucial to life.

Wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people. If dead birds are handled, it is important to wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible. Avoid touching your face and certainly do not eat until you have washed your hands. Clean any soiling on clothing with soap and water.

There is no evidence that any type of avian influenza (AI) has passed from avian species to dogs. So even in the unlikely event that the reported dead birds had died from AI, the risk to your dog would be extremely low. Cases of dog 'flu have been recorded in the USA, but in this case the virus is believed to have originated from horse 'flu.

bull; 1-877-WNV-BIRD. Do not touch the bird. DHS will record all dead bird reports and will arrange for pickup and laboratory testing when appropriate.

No refunds are given, ONLY free replacement birds or a credit towards a future order if you prefer that option. No exceptions.

Moles typically die underground and naturally decompose. If you find one on the surface, simply wrap it in newspaper and place it into your garbage can. Wash hands thoroughly afterwards. (Back to top)

Hang feeders at least five feet above the ground. For ground-feeding birds, arrange ornamental border fencing in two or three concentric circles about 16 inches to two feet apart, to disrupt a cat's ability to leap at feeders or to spring on birds. Harass offending cats with a spray of water to train them to avoid your yard. If all else fails, use a live trap to catch the cats and take them to the local animal shelter.

In the unlikely event that the reported dead birds had died from AI, the risk to your dog would be extremely low. You should be able to reach someone on the number given. In the unlikely event of not being able to get through, please capture as much detail as you can about the incident, including precise detail of location, and then telephone through on the next working day. Not if it’s clear that that’s the cause of death, or if the carcase is starting to putrefy.

At the present time, we do not have the highly-pathogenic avian influenza in our birds in the United States. It's always best to avoid contact with any dead animal. If possible, leave the dead bird where you found it and let nature take its course.

State and federal departments of agriculture are routinely testing chickens for evidence of infection with the H5N1 avian flu and other poultry diseases. State and federal wildlife officials are testing wild waterfowl, such as wild ducks and geese, and shorebirds, such as plovers and sandpipers, for the Asian bird flu in only select areas of the state. Wildlife officials are NOT accepting backyard dead wild birds for testing for bird flu virus.

Bird populations may fluctuate quite dramatically over short periods of time in local areas. This may be due to normal annual life cycle changes (breeding, post-breeding dispersal), migration, short-distance movements as birds seek out more available food sources, or a variety of other reasons. West Nile Virus (and other diseases) may be a factor in causing unusual mortality in large or local areas.

Since this virus was not detected in the Western Hemisphere until 1999, it is likely that native bird populations in the U.S. were not previously exposed to the virus. It is not unusual for a new disease to cause high rates of infection or death because they do not have natural immunity to the infection. It is not known if or how long it will take for populations to develop sufficient immunity.

For every dead bird: Avoid direct contact with the dead bird. Use rubber gloves or put a double plastic bag over your hand. (Grocery bags will do if they are in good shape.) Invert the bags over your hand, grab the bird, wrap it up and tie off or seal the bags. If you are using gloves, place the dead bird into a double plastic bag, wrap it up and tie off or seal the bags.

If you notice large numbers of dead birds suddenly appearing in a small area (e.g., more than three dead birds in your backyard overnight), these birds may have been poisoned. Please contact your local Wildlife Resources office to report this. If you have a bird feeder, please read the following paragraphs for instructions on how to clean your feeder. Also, if birds are dying near your feeder, the feeder may need to be cleaned.

Not necessarily. There are many causes of birds dying, the most usual being an outbreak of an infectious disease, such as salmonella. If you clean your feeders and birdtables regularly you will help prevent infections from spreading.

No. Dead birds are only collected to determine if WNV is present in a county. When WNV is detected, according to the state protocol it is not necessary to retrieve dead birds for testing.

First, there is no need to report a dead bird unless it is a crow. Dead crow reports help us to track West Nile virus, so please call1-866-537-BIRD if you see a dead crow. Other types of birds do not have to be reported unless there are many dead birds in the same area. Call our re ional Department of Environmental Conservation EC office if you see a lot of dead birds in the same place. You may also visit the State DEC web site at: www.dec.state.nv.

No. Our staff does not enter private property for dead animal removal, nor can they attend to injured animals.