August 2, 2024 |
Photo – Sage grouse – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking people to help find cases of West Nile Virus in dead sage grouse.
Wyoming Game and Fish Biologist Nyssa Whitford said her agency is collecting sage grouse carcasses for West Nile Virus testing. Whitford asked anyone who finds a recently deceased sage grouse to contact Game and Fish or collect the dead animal in a bag and quickly take it to the nearest Game and Fish office.
If the sage grouse died of obvious causes, such as being hit by a car or attacked by a predator, Whitford said you do not need to report the dead bird to Game and Fish. However, if you discover an intact sage grouse carcass, Whitford said to report it to your local Game and Fish office as soon as possible. The biologist said summer heat will cause the birds to decompose quickly.
The collected sage grouse carcasses will be sent to the Wildlife Forensics & Fish Health Lab in Laramie for West Nile Virus testing.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne illness that can cause fever, headaches, body and joint pain, vomiting, and diarrhea in humans. In more extreme cases, the virus can even cause paralysis. In sage grouse, West Nile Virus has an approximately 25% mortality rate.
Whitford said evidence suggests that Wyoming’s sage grouse are not in the midst of a West Nile Virus outbreak. The Game and Fish biologist said the mosquito that transmits the virus, Culex tarsalis, thrives in warmer weather.
Whitford said a lack of rain is concentrating animals around small pools of mosquito infected water, potentially increasing the likelihood of the animals contracting West Nile Virus.
The Game and Fish biologist said the last West Nile Virus outbreak in sage grouse occurred roughly 20 years ago. Due to their lack of natural immunity, Whitford said the birds are highly susceptible to the virus.
On July 22nd, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department began calling for sage grouse reporting. As of Wednesday afternoon, Whitford said she has not received any reports of dead sage grouse. Game and Fish will perform sage grouse testing until cool weather thins out the mosquito populations.
Whitford said the most effective way to reduce the spread of West Nile Virus is to remove standing bodies of water where mosquitoes breed.
If you find a sage grouse carcass without an obvious cause of death, call the Wyoming Game and Fish Laramie Regional Office at 745-4046 or place the dead bird in a plastic bag and bring it to 1212 South Adams Street in Laramie.
On its website, Game and Fish states that the chance of getting the virus from handling a dead bird is remote, but picking up the birds with an inverted plastic sack while wearing gloves is recommended.
