Thousands of Snow Geese Die in Idaho

[Cara J]

About 2,000 snow geese (Chen caerulescens) died midflight in eastern Idaho last week, likely from avian cholera, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The snow geese were migrating north to their nesting grounds in northern Alaska from the southwestern United States and Mexico, when a shockingly large number of geese fell from the sky. The presence of dead snow geese was first reported last Friday at Camas National Wildlife Refuge, close to Dubois, Idaho, and then even more dead birds were found in management areas Mud Lake and Market Lake, near the towns of Terreton and Roberts, Idaho. Idaho Fish and Game announced Tuesday that it believes the reason for the sudden deaths is likely avian cholera —a contagious, bacterial disease that causes blood poisoning in birds across the world. The disease can cause convulsions and erratic flight, according to IDFG. The disease also can infect birds so quickly they might not have symptoms before dying suddenly midflight. Although the cause of the birds’ deaths have not yet been confirmed, the agency said the “symptoms seem to indicate the disease,” in a news release. Researchers at the IDFG Wildlife Laboratory are in the process of determining if [...]

 

Read more: http://wildlife.org/thousands-of-snow-geese-die-in-idaho/