TULELAKE, Calif. - Because of a lack of water, an outbreak of avian cholera has killed more than 10,000 geese, ducks, and other waterfowl in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge along the Oregon-California border, federal officials said.
Over the winter, there was only enough water to fill about half the refuge’s 31,000 acres of marshes.
The refuge is on the dry east side of the Cascade Range. Once known as the Everglades of the West, it has been hard-pressed for water in recent years, standing in line behind endangered fish and farms.
The National Wildlife Health Center said avian cholera, a common bacterial illness among fowl, appears to spread by bird-to-bird contact when they are crowded close together. Humans are not at high risk for infection but are advised to wear gloves and wash their hands when handling the affected birds.
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How long before we are told it has mutated like the pigs that fly flu? Or will it just be another $wine flu $windle?
