Bird flu (or avian influenza) is a viral disease that primarily affects birds. The H5N1 strain spreads quickly and causes severe illness in birds.
Reporting
If you see three or more sick or dead wild birds in a group, avoid contact, record what you see and report it to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66 from anywhere in New Zealand.
You can also report online - select the ‘dead or dying wild birds’ option from the dropdown list and then the type of bird you have found.
Do not handle or move the birds and provide as much detail as you can.
Council’s role in bird flu
The Ministry for Primary Industries is the lead agency for Bird Flu.
Waikato District Council is monitoring the situation closely. Council’s role is to share up-to-date information about bird flu from MPI and manage cases of bird flu on Council-owned land and facilities. Council continues to work closely with local and regional response partners regarding bird flu preparedness.
Parks and public spaces in the Waikato District remain open. We will advise immediately if this changes.
If you see bird flu signage at a park, beach, or reserve anywhere, please follow the instructions on the sign. Signage means Council’s are taking precautions in that area.
We will communicate any changes to site access clearly and promptly via this webpage, Antenno, and the Waikato District Council Facebook page.
What you need to know
Bird flu has spread globally, primarily through migratory birds, and caused mass mortality in wild birds and poultry in many countries. We can’t prevent it from arriving in New Zealand as migratory birds carry the virus across oceans.
- Bird flu has been detected in individual wild birds in New Zealand. There are no confirmed cases in the Waikato District at this time.
- MPI is leading the national One Health response, supported by DOC, Health NZ, and local authorities.
- Bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease. It mostly affects domestic and wild birds.
- There is no food safety risk from H5N1, and the risk to human health is assessed as low.
- Look for signs of illness in your birds and contact your vet if concerned, prevent contact between your birds and wild birds, and clean your boots, gear, surfaces and hands often.
- People who spend time outdoors - tramping, duck hunting, bird watching - can form good habits now that will help protect wildlife if bird flu arrives here. Keep your distance from sick or dead wildlife, keep your gear clean, and know when to report.
- Keep children, dogs and other pets away from dead or sick birds.
- If bird flu becomes widespread in the wild bird population, we won’t be able to eradicate it from wild birds or prevent them from continuing to spread the virus.
By continuing to prepare and maintaining good biosecurity habits, we can all help limit the impact of bird flu if it spreads to our district.