A bald eagle died in northeast Ohio after being discovered injured and possibly sick with avian influenza (also known as bird flu or H5N1). While speaking to local media outlet WKYC, Tressa Speight of Summit County recalled seeking to help the injured bald eagle that had been discovered on the land not too far from her residence.
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“My husband was walking out for a meeting, and I’m like, ‘Cancel your meeting. We’re leaving. We have to go get this bird,'” she shared. “He was like, ‘Are you insane?’ I’m like, ‘No. I’m not going to leave a bald eagle who needs help.'”
After encountering the eagle, Speigh and her family contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Upon their arrival on the scene, ODNR experts discovered that the eagle was not suffering from a broken win. However, they believed it likely had bird flu.
The disease has been discovered in the area. Visitors to the nearby Summit Metro Parks have been advised not to feed any wild birds by hand.
Unfortunately, the bald eagle passed away, and the ODNR has taken possession of its body to test for bird flu.
The State of Ohio Is Experiencing a Bird Flu Outbreak
The eagle’s death comes just days after the Ohio Department of Agriculture released data that showed there were 50 active cases of bird flu. The illness has affected 50 flocks in Ohio over the past month.
“Currently, we are the highest in the country,” Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge also explained to WKYC. “We’re hopeful that that comes to a quick end here shortly and we can get back in full production.”
Baldridge further revealed that there have been cases of bird flu in the state since 2022. However, there was a noticeable uptick this past Christmas Eve. Since then, more than 9,000,000 birds have been discovered infected by the illness.
Baldridge then stated that Ohio could be such a bird flu hotspot due to its location.
“We base this disease on migratory bird movements,” he added. “We know this time of year, there’s a lot of birds moving. Unfortunately, there’s maps out there that show, from our standpoint, we were in a migratory bird path.”