| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gull Deaths on Gooseberry Island Linked to VirusBy Paul Boblett, Editor The 2,200 plus birds that were found dead on and near Gooseberry Island on Pelican Lake in August died of circovirus, according to State Wildlife Veterinarian Erica Butler. In July of 2009, several citizens reported several dead gulls on the island, located near Breezy Point Resort. The reports were then investigated by the DNR who determined that the majority of dead birds were found in the far southeast corner of the island in a 1-2 acre nesting area. Butler said during a phone interview last week that circovirus is a disease that decreases the immune system, which raises the possibility for secondary infections. “We found salmonella, and there were different bacterial and fungal infections,” said Butler. “It took a long time to get results and the trouble was there wasn’t much in common, until we figured out the underlying cause. The birds technically died from other infections but the main cause was the circovirus.” “It spread from bird to bird from feather dust or fecal particles - and the circovirus impacts their lowers white blood cells and weakens them therefore they cannot fight off other diseases,” explained Butler. “It is pretty much species specific, we had questions about the goats on the island but they were not involved or affected.” She said there is no danger posed to humans from the circovirus, but added that with any dead creature there is some risk with handling the remains. When asked if anything could be done to prevent this type of occurrence in the future, Butler said, “It’s just one of those things that can affect bird colonies where there’s a lot of birds in close contact.” Butler noted that three separate labs were used to determine the cause, the U of M Diagnostic Veterinary, the National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin and the USDA Labs in Georgia. She was happy that people took the time to call about the birds in July, “We appreciate the reports from the public that alerted us to the deaths.” According to DNR Regional Nongame Specialist Pam Perry said that Gooseberry Island is the only known nesting colony in the Brainerd Lakes area. “The colony has been there a long time and is home for up to 1000 nesting pairs of gulls as well as some cormorants,” said Gary Drotts Brainerd Area Wildlife Manager. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northland Press | P.O. Box 145 | Outing, MN 56662 | (218) 692-5842 Email: news@northlandpress.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
