Unidentified bird illness renders Ohio fowl blind, unable to fly

(David McNew/Getty Images)

By Collin Cunningham

(CLEVELAND) Cleveland birds have been experiencing blindness and inability to fly due to a mysterious and unidentified new disease that is apparently affecting Ohio's fowl population.

Per Patch, several birds are currently receiving treatment for the malady at the Ohio Wildlife Center in Powell, near the middle of the state. Symptoms include white crust around their eyes and vision impairment resulting from nervous system damage.

“So we’re not seeing it in our ducks, and we’re not seeing it in our hawks, but we do see it in birds like crows or birds like morning doves,” Stormy Gibson, Interim Executive Director for the Ohio Wildlife Center, told FOX8. He added that it's also been encountered in Virgina, Delaware, Maryland, Indiana and West Virgina.

Patch reported that Ohioans who do encounter birds are encouraged to do the following:

• Wear gloves while rescuing it and bring the bird to the Ohio Wildlife Center hospital, if in the area.
• Take down bird feeders and stop feeding birds for at least one week.
• Clean bird feeders and bird baths.
• Monitor your area for ill birds, particularly those with white crust around their eyes.

According to 10TV, the disease has also contributed to the deaths of the state's birds, with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife reporting several calls regarding dead birds over the past few weeks.

"There are neurological signs of their necks bending and flopping over to the side and also a lack of clearness or discharge from the eyes from conjunctivitis," explained ODNR Division of Wildlife District 1 Supervisor Gary Comer.

Though much is unknown about the disease, Comer said the ODNR is treating it as though it's viral. That lack of information also means that there is currently no way to care for the injured avians.

"It’s a shocking situation," Gibson added, per Cleveland.com. "I’ve been in wildlife rehab for a long time. I’ve seen West Nile virus go through. I’ve seen the avian flu go through. This is obviously an emergent disease or an emergent illness that we’re unaware of, and we’re trying to find out more information with the help of many states and organizations.”

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