Bird Flu in Mammals

Credit: Mary Pears

The latest outbreak of bird flu (HPAI) has seen cases in wild and domestic birds across most of Britain. While it is possible that it will die out over the coming summer, it is also possible that it will spread back into nesting seabirds again. We have also seen some cases in mammals (foxes and otters) that predate dead or dying birds.

It seems quite possible that any carnivore could catch and die from bird flu, but so far there is no evidence of it spreading between mammals in Europe, and the risk to people remains very low. The Society recommends that people do not handle wild mammals found dead. There is a system for reporting found dead birds, and other animals where appropriate, that should be used: Report dead wild birds – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Please note that dead wild mammals are not routinely collected and tested for bird flu.