Bird flu outbreak kills hundreds of vultures near Atlanta - Axios

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Illustration of a bouquet of lilies in a birds nest. — Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

A metro Atlanta wildlife facility is closed for the rest of the month after hundreds of birds were found dead of bird flu.

Driving the news: The deceased wild black vultures were found at Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove on Aug. 13, the sanctuary said in a statement.

Tests were conducted and results confirmed avian influenza was the culprit.
State and federal officials were called in to help respond to the outbreak.

State of play: The Georgia Department of Agriculture placed Noah's Ark under quarantine and ordered it to undergo a thorough disinfecting. Noah's Ark's website says it will be closed through Sept. 3.

What they're saying: Noah's Ark said its vulture population "is still dying off as the disease runs its course" and an accurate count of deaths will be made in the coming days.

The parrots and exotic birds in the sanctuary's care are not showing signs of the flu, it said.

Threat level: Bo Warren, policy director with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, told Axios that the risk of the flu being transmitted to humans or other animals is "very low."

Federal rules require the euthanization of any domestic foul that could have been exposed to the virus, Warren said.
"Georgia is a global leader in poultry production, so this is an incident our agency takes very seriously," he said.

Noah's Ark is a nonprofit organization that cares for more than 1,500 animals on 250 acres of property, according to its website.

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