close
close

Cfic-squadrone

The Pulse of Today, The Insight for Tomorrow

Hawaii’s first bird flu case confirmed at Wahiawa Duck Rescue

Hawaii’s first bird flu case confirmed at Wahiawa Duck Rescue

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii News Now has learned where Hawaii’s first case of bird flu was confirmed.

The owner of a Wahiawa duck rescue tells us it was first discovered at her nonprofit, and she initially thought her animal had been poisoned.

The number of bird deaths from this one property is staggering. Twenty rescued waterfowl were found dead with 13 wild zebras.

Then the state Department of Agriculture decided to put down more than 70 birds on the Wahiawa property, leaving the founder of the duck rescue devastated.

Learn more: State confirms avian flu in flock of birds in Central Oahu

In an emotional post on Instagram, Susan Wilkinson, founder of Susie’s Duck Sanctuary, said Hawaii’s first detection of bird flu was discovered at her waterfowl rescue in a residential neighborhood in Wahiawa.

“It’s not a government conspiracy. It’s not a joke. It’s that bad. It’s that bad,” she said.

Wilkinson did not reveal her exact location, but wants the public to take the deadly bird virus seriously. She says 20 of her rescued waterfowl, ducks, geese and a swan died quickly two weeks ago.

Some had no symptoms, while others were lethargic and had neurological problems.

“They had twitches in their heads and their necks were twisting, so much neurological. There’s this whole gamut of symptoms that we just didn’t, couldn’t put it all together,” Wilkinson told Hawaii News Now.

“I had no idea. We thought it was poisoning,” she added.

Learn more: Chicken farmers, owners ‘freaked out’ by Hawaii’s first bird flu detection

Wilkinson’s veterinarian contacted state officials, who tested the dead birds, which confirmed bird flu.

Dr. Isaac Maeda, the state veterinarian, says the Department of Agriculture decided to euthanize more than 70 birds at the sanctuary to prevent the deadly bird virus from spreading.

“The decision was made because of the fact that this was the first discovery we’ve had,” he said. “What we want to do is try to get rid of the viral load to prevent further spread.”

State health officials say some of Wilkinson’s birds were at the Mililani Town Association’s Pet Fair on Nov. 2, but they did not show signs of infection then.

Wilkinson says visitors did not touch her animals. Her property has been cleaned and disinfected and it will be 120 days before she can have birds there again.

“Since the birds did not show signs of infection at the time of the fair, the likelihood of H5N1 spreading to humans is low. However, out of an abundance of caution, the DOH recommends that people who attended the fair and touched a duck or goose monitor for flu-like disease (ILI) and conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), the Hawaii State Department of Health said in a statement.

State agriculture officials say it’s possible Wilkinson’s birds got sick from the zebra doves, but how the wild birds got it is unclear since they don’t migrate from the island.

Officials are reminding people not to touch sick birds, feed wild birds or let them mix with your feathered pets.