2,000 snow geese apparently die of avian cholera

About 2,000 migrating snow geese apparently died of avian cholera in the Mud Lake and Market Lake wildlife management areas, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Monday.

The agency said the carcasses were collected and will be incinerated so other birds don’t ingest the bacteria.

Although results are not yet back from the IDFG Wildlife Laboratory, the birds’ symptoms indicate the disease.

Dead snow geese were first reported at Camas National Wildlife Refuge near Dubois, and more were found Friday in the Mud Lake and Market Lake WMAs, near Terreton and Roberts, respectively.

The highest number was found in the Mud Lake area, where biologists saw about 20 eagles near some of the carcasses. Because of a delayed incubation period, it is uncertain where these eagles are, as well as if and when the avian cholera will affect them, the agency said.

Fish and Game said the birds were returning from the migration from the southwestern United States and Mexico to their breeding grounds on the northern coast of Alaska. It is unknown where the geese picked up avian cholera.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, avian cholera can kill birds so fast that they fall out of the sky. In cases where it kills birds more slowly, the infected fowl might display one or more of the following symptoms:

Appear lethargic.
Have convulsions.
Swim in circles.
Fly upside down.
Try to land a foot above water.
Have a mucous discharge from the mouth.
Have discolored feathers in the facial area.
Have yellow or bloody droppings.

Although humans are not at high risk of getting avian cholera, Fish and Game is asking people not to touch dead birds if they find them, as people might inadvertently spread the disease to other wildlife. Instead, they should call the Upper Snake Regional Office at (208) 525-7290.