According to the Akron Zoo, the birds are being moved indoors as a precaution and all of them "remain healthy."
The Akron Zoo is taking extra precautions to protect its animals amid an ongoing bird flu outbreak across the country. Zoo officials took to social media Thursday morning, confirming they were temporarily moving some of their birds indoors “as a precaution for our birds’ safety as cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been detected in Ohio.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread in Ohio, with five new commercial poultry flock infections there being reported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS also reported a new instance of HPAI in Arizona.
Ohio leads the nation in recent bird flu cases among commercial poultry operations, with more than 4.1 million chickens and turkeys affected so far this year.
At the same time, high prices of poultry products and eggs in grocery stores - exacerbated by the impact of bird flu on flocks - are driving more shoppers to consider purchasing from local producers.
The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in 16 commercial poultry flocks in the United States over a two-day period.
Avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in 1,432,000 chickens in Mercer County, , according to the USDA, just weeks after the Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed the infection of 931,302 birds in
Bird flu has been detected in another commercial flock in western Ohio. The USDA confirmed that 1.4 million egg-laying chickens in Mercer County are affected by the virus. This comes weeks after avian influenza was detected in a large flock in nearby Darke County.
A concerning number of dead geese have been discovered along the Tuscarawas River in Summit County, alarming residents and prompting an investigation by wildlife officials.
There is no increased risk to zoo visitors, officials said. The avian flu risk comes from native birds that land at the Akron Zoo.
We know you love our feathered friends as much as we do,” the Akron Zoo stated. “The health and welfare of our birds is our top priority.”