Dozens of dead ducks wash up on beach in Whiting, Indiana, raising fears of bird flu
WHITING, Ind. (CBS) -- Indiana wildlife officials were testing birds from another Lake Michigan beach, after dozens of dead ducks washed up on Whiting's shoreline.
Officials were worried the deaths could be the result of highly contagious avian influenza, or bird flu.
More than 40 dead ducks were found along the shore at Whihala Beach this week, some frozen into the ice shelf along Lake Michigan.
Wildlife officials circled the dead birds in neon spray paint as a way to warn people to steer clear. Officials have asked people to avoid the shoreline until the birds are removed.
The city of Whiting issued a warning that they believe "that the recent north winds and ice thaw contributed to the carcasses washing up on the beach."
"The Park Department was advised to set aside two (2) of the ducks for the IDNR research," the city said in a statement.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources representatives confirmed they have been notified of multiple dead red-breasted mergansers on the beach in Lake and Porter counties, adding they've seen 126 positive detections of bird flu since 2022.
This week, bird monitors also collected dead ducks on 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"We've been getting hundreds of calls throughout eight counties from around the Chicago region," said Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.
Lincoln Park Zoo confirmed bird flu killed one of their flamingoes and a seal in January.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago staff said they're taking their own precautions to make sure their animals stay safe against a newer bird flu strain known to be highly contagious.
"Some of the birds that normally would be outside, many of them we brought in because it's winter and because it's cold, but also to minimize the chances that they interact with wild waterfowl," said Dr. Sathya Chinnadurai, senior vice president for animal health, welfare, and science at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. "It's been a little harder to predict which birds would be at high risk versus no risk. So we have taken precautions with most of our bird collection across the board."
Indiana DNR still doesn't have the results of testing on the birds from Whiting, but they have asked people to keep their dogs on a leash and away from the remaining birds. They said the risk to humans is low.
