Cause of West Nile outbreak at Coaldale’s Birds of Prey “inconclusive”

The Centre noticed in July of 2018 that the water levels in the ponds surrounding their facility were getting quite low, which, combined with the wet spring and hot and dry August, created a prime recipe for mosquito growth.

The birds died between August 15th-23rd, but it was not until October that they were sent to the University of Calgary for testing.

“Alberta Health and the provincial wildlife disease specialists all recommended getting the birds tested first to know for sure that that was the cause of death, and that would give a little more certainty and a little bit of rationale for testing the ponds themselves,” says Dr. Patriquin. “Without that bit of information, it would have been a bit of supposition what happened to the raptors.”

In the months preceding the ponds getting low, there was a changeover in staff at the Town of Coaldale. Dr. Patriquin reports that none of the new workers were aware that a valve connecting the east and west ponds could impact the water levels in them.

One of the ponds in the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. (Lethbridge News Now)

In conclusion, the report found that timelines, a breakdown in communication, the weather, Southern Alberta being a prime location for mosquito habitats, and a loss of staff knowledge at the Town of Coaldale were all factors. The construction of Phase 2 of the Malloy Drain Implementation Project did not have a role to play in the outbreak, despite some prior media reports.

For these reasons, Dr. Patriquin says it is impossible to say for sure that any one thing in particular caused the West Nile outbreak that killed more than a dozen birds. She added that it was not the fault of any one group, be it The Centre, the Town of Coaldale, or anyone one else.

She made several recommendations in the wake of this to council and all of its members were receptive.

At the end of the presentation, a series of motions were passed, including that council continue to work with Solstice Environmental Management on coming up with solutions, ensure that all new birds being taken to the centre are tested prior to them being accepted, to raise public awareness of how every resident has a role to play in preventing mosquito outbreaks, appointing two members to the Birds of Prey board, and having at least one or two meetings each year between the Town of Coaldale and The Centre to ensure the lines of communication stay open.

“When we asked for the report, council’s intention was not to say, go out there and say who done it, that kind of thing,” says Coaldale Mayor Kim Craig. “We wanted to more focus on how to mitigate it going forward.”

As for the public piece, Dr. Patriquin is asking that everyone do what they can to eliminate standing water on their property, including in pools, fountains, tires, and other items.

by David Opinko

Cause of West Nile outbreak at Coaldale’s Birds of Prey “inconclusive”

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