MONTANA — Three juvenile grizzly bears tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus this fall, the first documented cases of HPAI in grizzly bears, according to a release from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (Montana FWP).
“The three bears, one near Augusta, one near Dupuyer and another near Kalispell, were observed to be in poor condition and exhibited disorientation and partial blindness, among other neurological issues, says Montana FWP.
The bears were reportedly euthanized due to their sickness.
While these are the first grizzly bears documented with HPAI, a fox and a skunk in Montana also tested positive for HPAI last year. The virus has also been found in raccoons, black bears and a coyote in other states and countries says Montana FWP.
“We suspect these mammals probably get the virus from consuming infected birds,” FWP Wildlife Veterinarian Jennifer Ramsey said.
According to Montana FWP, avian influenza (AI) virus is a naturally occurring virus in birds. AI viruses are classified into two groups, based on the severity of the disease they cause in infected poultry. Low pathogenic AI viruses generally cause no clinical illness or only minor symptoms in birds. HPAI viruses are extremely infectious and fatal to poultry and some species of wild birds.
Last April, amid the onset of the national outbreak, the virus was detected in a number of wild birds in Wyoming.
Experts say humans should avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife and keep domesticated pets from feeding on sick or dead birds.
HPAI is considered a zoonotic disease, which can infect humans although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk of HPAI spreading to humans to be very low.
