Thousands of Snow Geese Fall Out of Sky in Idaho

Suspected avian cholera outbreak kills  thousands  of migrating snow geese

About 2,000 migrating snow geese appeared to have succumbed to avian cholera and died at Mud Lake and Market Lake Wildlife Management Areas, on their way back north to their nesting grounds in Northern Alaska, reported the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG).

“The carcasses of a small number of snow geese were first reported at Camas National Wildlife Refuge near Dubois, Idaho. Closer inspection on Friday found higher numbers of dead birds at the Mud Lake WMA Area near Terreton, Idaho and a lesser amount at Market Lake WMA near Roberts, Idaho. The migratory birds were on the return leg of their migration from the southwestern United States and Mexico to their breeding grounds on the northern coast of Alaska. It is unknown at this time where the geese may have picked up the suspected bacteria. ‘Outbreaks of avian cholera have occurred sporadically in the region over the past few decades,’ said Upper Snake Regional Supervisor Steve Schmidt.”

“Basically, they just fell out of the sky,” media reported an IDFG spokesperson as saying.

“More than 10,000 migrating birds died of avian cholera in southern Oregon and northern California in the first three months of 2012 because of low water levels in wetlands at a popular bird rest area,” said a report.