Wild Wednesday: Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre shares what you need to know about bird flu and how they are coping

This year my conversation about conservation with the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre (OVWBCC) team flew me in a different direction. Wildlife rescue is serious business. It’s even more so when navigating a contagious viral infection like H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly referred to as avian flu or ‘bird flu.’

It’s difficult to provide care to animals with infections diseases. The prognosis can be worse and risks increase for other animals in the facility and in some cases, humans too. Imagine the patient who tested positive and can’t talk- only tweet! And I’m not talking about Twitter. That’s the challenge the OVWBCC is facing right now. 

I connected with Patty McLaughlin, OVWBCC Education Program Manager, and Sandra Sawers, OVWBCC Executive Director to learn