8 dead skunks found in Vancouver and Richmond test positive for avian flu

Eight skunks found dead last month in Vancouver andnearby Richmond, B.C., have tested positive for avian flu.

The B.C. government says it isthe same strain of avian influenza associated with the outbreak that began in April 2022.

The skunks were found in residential areas in both cities andwere taken to B.C.'s Animal Health Centre over concerns they mayhave been deliberately poisoned.

British Columbia's Ministry of Agriculture says the skunks wereinfected with the same H5N1 strain that has caused the deaths ofmillions of domestic poultry since the outbreak began in April lastyear.

The ministry says in a statement the skunks may have contractedH5N1 by scavenging on infected wild birds.

The statement says while avian flu in skunks is considered to bea low risk to human health, there are always risks when people orpets come into contact with sick or dead wild animals.

Since last April, the ministry says wildlife infected by the fluincluded more than 20 species of wild birds, two skunks and a foxfound in rural areas of the province.