Bird flu case confirmed in dead goose found at borough reservoir
Cllr John McHugh, of Westhoughton South, was walking his dog near High Rid Reservoir in Lostock when he made the discovery last month.
He said he had found a sick goose nearby a couple of days beforehand.
He said: “I’d seen a goose and I thought it was stuck in the mud.
“They’re usually quite aggressive, so when I climbed over and went to pick it up I realised it wasn’t stuck – it was just ill.”
The pink-footed goose was sent to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for testing and they have now confirmed that it has tested positive for bird flu.
Pink-footed goose (Image: Pixabay)
Cllr McHugh said: “I was hoping it wasn’t – it’s a shame.”
He said he has reported the case to Bolton Council’s Environmental Health team.
The UK Government has reported bird flu outbreaks across the country with cases recently confirmed in flocks in Norfolk, Cumbria and Scotland.
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Defra has given this guidance on bird flu: “The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round surveillance of dead wild birds submitted via public reports and warden patrols as part of its wild bird surveillance programme.
“In Great Britain members of the public are encouraged to report findings of dead wild birds using the online reporting system or by calling the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).
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“APHA triages reports and does not collect all birds. They adjust the collection thresholds for dead wild birds for different species to increase or decrease the sensitivity of surveillance.
“APHA and their contractors then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand what risk posed to poultry and other captive birds is through understanding how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of wild bird, not all birds will be collected.
“Wild birds are susceptible to a range of diseases and injuries, and not all dead birds will have been infected with avian influenza.”
Source – INDIA TV
