SUAMICO, Wis. — With the avian flu detected in the state, Wisconsin zoos have taken precautions to protect at-risk birds.
At the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park, African penguins still draw crowds, even if their home has some temporary modifications. Netting now surrounds their exhibit.
“It’s keeping the geese from landing,” explained Carmen Murach, the NEW Zoo’s curator of animals.
Ducks and geese flying north may carry the deadly avian flu.
“We’ve protected these guys by putting netting up to keep any ducks and geese out, who might want to stop by and check this out and consider nesting here,” Murach said.
Most areas remain open for animal viewing, however, the zoo shut down its walkthrough aviary to the public.
“We needed to, for the protection of our birds,” Murach said.
Murach explained that a visitor walking through the parking lot could inadvertently spread the virus after crossing paths with a goose that carried it.
“Eagles are incredibly susceptible to this disease,” said Murach. “It’s quite deadly for them. We don’t want to introduce it to this exhibit.”
Jon Egen and his son Theodore are zoo members and visit a few times each year.
“There’s always a lot of great things to see,” said Egen. “We like the monkeys and the sea otters. We’ll see if the bear is out moving today too.”
He didn’t think his son would notice the changes.
“I don’t think so, no,” said Egen. “He likes the mammals more than the birds.”
Murach said the flu is a threat to birds every year. The zoo experienced something similar in 2015.
“In general, zoos are good about bio-security. It’s important all of the time,” said Murach.
Crowds could still visit the emus. They aren’t considered as susceptible to the virus as other birds. They’re also set back from crowds and don’t have any standing water that would attract ducks or geese. Staff still take extra steps to keep the giant birds safe.
“Our zookeepers are being very careful with foot baths and changes of shoes for every bird exhibit they deal with,” said Murach.
Murach said the recent pandemic helped prepare visitors for possible inconveniences at the zoo, but she hoped things would return to normal once the migration is finished.