MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

BY CHRISTINE PETERSON – “NEWCASTLE — Another disease has broken out at the Downar Bird Farm near Yoder in southeast Wyoming.

More than 2,700 pheasants have died in the past several weeks because of a botulism outbreak, said Brian Nesvik, chief of the wildlife division for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Botulism occurs naturally in the environment and needs certain conditions to take hold, he said. This outbreak is not a threat to human public health, he said.

Last year, a disease called psittacosis struck the bird farm and resulted in all of the birds and eggs being destroyed. The botulism outbreak has nothing to do with last year’s disease, Nesvik said.

‘Botulism is everywhere. It’s just if the conditions are right,’ said bird farm superintendent Steve Schafer.

Conditions include hot and dry weather like the area has experienced this summer, Nesvik said.

An outbreak of botulism moved through the bird farm about 30 years ago.

The disease is spread from unhealthy and dying birds to healthy birds. Bird farm staff members are trying to minimize the spread by frequently walking the pens and removing dead and sick birds, according to a media release.” Read more.