Avian flu suspected in up to 15 bird deaths at New York City zoos
Source: AP
Updated 4:53 PM EST, February 8, 2025
NEW YORK (AP) — At least three and possibly up to 15 birds have died of avian flu at two New York City zoos, according to the organization that operates the facilities.
The Wildlife Conservation Society said three ducks at the Queens Zoo died after contracting the virus, and lab tests are pending on three ducks and nine wild birds that died at the Bronx Zoo after possible exposure.
“As a precaution, over the last two weeks, we have moved vulnerable bird species to protected areas in our parks,” officials said in a statement.
On Friday, state officials ordered bird markets in the metropolitan area to close for a week after seven cases of avian flu were detected during routine inspections in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Gov. Kathy Hochul said there was no immediate threat to public health and the temporary closures were done out of an abundance of caution.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-avian-new-york-zoo-a45ffea4f3ddacf654618065ee9e0d1f
When this happened in the Philly area back in 2022, our Zoo brought all the birds (including the penguins) indoors so they wouldn't be impacted by the wild birds.
ETA - this is what Philly's Zoo (the oldest in the nation) did back in 2022 with the outbreak (the birds were quarantined indoors in April 2022 but were returned to their outdoor habitats in August 2022) -