Researcher: Dead Ducks Prove Avian Cholera Moving North
CANADA - More than 3,000 common eider ducks found dead on Nunavut's South Hampton Island this summer were infected with avian cholera, a scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service says.
31 October 2006
2 minute read
Although avian cholera is a naturally-occurring disease in birds, it has never been detected that far north, Grant Gilchrist told CBC News Friday.
"It's pretty grim when you consider the island is only 800 metres long and there's over 3,000 dead birds and these are large birds," Gilchrist said.
"The smell is awful and it attracts a lot of herring gulls and it's a mess."
As far as intervention, Gilchrist said there is really nothing that can be done to help the birds.
Source: CBC News
