Leaders with a popular animal sanctuary in Henry County said Friday that more fowl have had to be euthanized because of a bird flu outbreak at the site.
Noah’s Ark said that peacocks, pea hens, emus, ostrich, Guinea fowl, an owl, crow and sandhill crane have had to be destroyed after vultures reportedly brought the disease to the 250 acre property.
More than 700 vultures have died or had to be euthanized since the news the disease at the site was confirmed on Monday. Parrots, one of the most popular birds at the sanctuary, were not among those listed as euthanized.
“These species of birds can be carriers of the avian influenza and were exposed to the vulture population that has been dying off,” Noah’s Ark leaders said in a statement Friday. “Unfortunately, their euthanasia is a critical step in attempting to maintain and mitigate this contagious disease not only to protect the other bird species at Noah’s Ark, but for the entire bird population of Henry County and Georgia as a whole.”
Noah’s Ark said in a statement that initial tests shows that the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was the cause of death of the vultures. HPAI poses little threat to humans, but birds infected with the virus should not be handled, experts say.
The facility, which was founded in 1978, is closed and public access prohibited until further notice.
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