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Virus that killed around 100 crows in Chatham-Kent isn't something to worry about: expert

Around 100 crows have been found dead in Chatham-Kent, but veterinary pathologist Brian Stevens says the large crow population in the area will likely be able to handle the deaths.  (Cathy Alex/CBC  - image credit)
Around 100 crows have been found dead in Chatham-Kent, but veterinary pathologist Brian Stevens says the large crow population in the area will likely be able to handle the deaths. (Cathy Alex/CBC - image credit)

Crows have become a celebrated bird in Chatham-Kent, but in recent weeks an alarming amount of crow deaths has caught the attention of pathologists in southern Ontario.

Brian Stevens, a veterinary pathologist with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, told CBC News his team hasn't received their full lab results yet but they believe the crows are likely dying from an avian reovirus.

He said it's "a virus that attacks these crows, attacks their internal organs, especially their intestinal tract and causes severe death of the tissues and eventually death of the crow."

He said over a hundred dead crows have been found in the region this winter.

Stevens said the cold weather makes it easier for viruses to last outside of the body, which is the likely cause for the spread of the reovirus.

"If you think about human viruses like influenza, they typically are worse during the fall and winter months, and that's because the virus can survive outside of the animal during the winter months in this cold weather," he said.

A festival for crows 

Chatham-Kent has a history with its large crow population, said Crowfest co-chair Andrew Theil.

"For a long time they were kind of viewed as a nuisance and they would get into garbage cans and cause a mess and whatnot," he said.

But over the last few years the municipality gave out garbage bins and stopped the mess, which started an all new attitude toward the birds.

SOURCE:crowfestck.com
SOURCE:crowfestck.com

"People started appreciating them a little bit more for how smart they are," he said.

"We decided to celebrate them."

Last year the municipality held its first Crowfest, a four day festival that celebrates the region's crows. A highlight of the festival is the 'Crow Your Boat' fundraiser race, where residents race each other in crow-shaped boats and donate money to epilepsy research.

"It's more or less kind of like the old rubber duck races that you used to see," he said.

Large crow population can likely withstand reovirus deaths

Stevens said the large population of crows in Chatham-Kent means a larger spread of illnesses like reovirus.

"We do see this kind of thing scattered across the province every few years," he said.

"So far this year Chatham has been the major one, but we've also heard of die-offs of crows in Woodstock."

Stevens said avian reovirus is not very concerning for humans, but avian flu is currently circulating through wild birds.

He said avian flu "is a disease that could potentially be passed on to people as well as domestic animals like dogs and cats."

If you find a dead crow Stevens said you should avoid touching it and contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.

As for the crows dying of reovirus Stevens said it is something to monitor but not necessarily a cause for alarm.

"I assume that with the number of crows we have in the province that it won't be a major factor, but it's just something we'll have to monitor over the next few years."