Cleveland Metroparks - Updates and Alerts

VHS (Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia) Fish Alert

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus is a serious pathogen of fish which is causing much concern in the Great Lakes region. To date, VHS has been found in Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Some infected fish will exhibit no external signs while others will exhibit bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, inactive or overactive behavior, lesions, and hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills, and base of the fins. VHS has no implications for human health.

The disease is easily transmitted between fish, has a high mortality rate, and has potentially severe economic and recreation impacts. VHS has not been detected in the inland waters of Cleveland Metroparks (although Huntington Reservation is on Lake Erie) and we all need to do our part to keep it that way. As is always the case, DO NOT transport live fish, other aquatic plants/animals, or water from one body of water to another . Also, please thoroughly clean any boating and fishing equipment before transporting between waterways.

For more information on VHS, go to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) site at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/ia_viral_hemorrhagic_septicemia_vs.pdf

Emerald Ash Borer

CLEVELAND METROPARKS POLICIES REGARDING FIREWOOD, SPECIMEN TREE AND FOREST MANAGEMENT (Summer 2007)
With the news release of the City of Cleveland’s plans to remove 20 percent (1,409) of the ash trees on city property over the next three years, questions regarding Cleveland Metroparks ash trees from the public may follow. We have distributed updates regarding emerald ash borer across the region and new policies within Cleveland Metroparks to prepare for potential spread of this pest. The key factor accelerating the spread of this insect across the landscape is transport of infested firewood. As of October 4, 2006, Cleveland Metroparks has put new guidelines for firewood and public awareness in motion. A summary of those new policies appears below. Municipalities’ outlook on costs, budgeting, contracting and hazards associated with standing dead ash trees have become a serious business from lessons learned from northwest Ohio and Michigan. Cleveland Metroparks faces challenges with keeping public facility and recreation areas free of hazardous trees while continuing with the mission to conserve natural resources. The new policies and long-term specimen tree and forest management plan address that mission while providing guidelines to slow the spread of emerald ash borer and remove infested ash trees from public facility and recreation sites.

Cleveland Metroparks Internal Policies effective October 2006
• Continue to leave non-ash cut wood rounds, a by-product of routine tree removal, for the general public to take.

• Any ash species either pruned, dead-wooded or removed (including storm damage) in reservations, golf courses or at the Zoo will be hauled back to a holding area within a Park Operations Management Center respective to the reservation where the tree was located and marked with fluorescent orange paint down the length of the trunk and on each end piece of wood. The accumulated ash wood will be processed into woodchips at a later date. Until the yarded ash wood is processed, it is NOT to be used for firewood, taken out of the Cleveland Metroparks by any employee or non-employee or used for any other reason.

• Any ash species either pruned, dead-wooded or removed (including storm damage) in reservations, golf courses or at the Zoo that CAN NOT be stored in a holding yard WILL BE bucked into pieces longer than 6 feet and scattered into the forest adjacent to where the tree was located and left in place for a minimum of 2 full (fall through summer) seasons before being pieced for firewood if necessary either for aesthetics and or debris control. As much of the non-trunk portion of the ash will be chipped as possible. Remaining portions of the canopy unable to be chipped will also be pieced longer than 6 feet and scattered into the adjacent wood line for later removal if necessary for aesthetics and or debris control.

• The signs currently posted at picnic facilities and kiosks throughout Cleveland Metroparks have updated language to reflect new policies regarding transport of firewood through or into Cleveland Metroparks boundaries with the reasons outlined.

• Ash wood of any species generated within Cleveland Metroparks will NOT be transported from one reservation to another. The marking of ash tree pieces with fluorescent orange paint by Cleveland Metroparks staff in the holding yards will ensure any and all employees handling firewood and logs will not mix potentially infested ash wood with non-ash firewood and logs.

• Routine inspection of any ash tree wood for signs of emerald ash borer will be conducted by employees handling ash during pruning, dead-wooding and removal (including storm damage). Any signs of emerald ash borer will be immediately reported to the Natural Resource Division and any further work on the infested tree/trees will cease immediately including transport of logs back to a holding yard.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING EMERALD ASH BORER

Q: Where and how many ash trees might have to be removed from Cleveland Metroparks following infestation by emerald ash borer?

A: Infested ash trees that become hazardous to public safety will be systematically removed from public facility/user areas. A tally of ash tree specimens in public areas such as picnic areas and golf courses has been completed as of March 2007. This tally will provide Cleveland Metroparks with data to create estimates of time, labor and costs associated with tree removal for each potential infestation zone.

Q: Will infested or dead ash trees be removed from the interior forests that are not hazardous to the visiting public?

A: Infested and dead ash trees that do not pose a hazardous threat to visitors will remain in the interior areas. As always, trees adjacent to trails or other public structures in the interior forest zones will be monitored and removed if determined hazardous.

Q: Is there a plan to spray the forests with a pesticide to kill the emerald ash borer?

A: At this point in time there has not been a product discovered that will interrupt the life cycle of emerald ash borer or succeed as a large scale aerial application type of pesticide. The fact that the larval stage of EAB tunnels well into the tree greatly reduces the chance for insecticide to have any effect. There are a few systemic products with the active ingredient of imidacloprid applied via injection or soil drench techniques that have shown promising results. This is on a tree by tree basis and must be reapplied periodically.

Q: There has been news of a parasitic Chinese wasp released in Michigan that is known to kill large numbers of emerald ash borer in its native home range of southeast asia. Will they be released in Ohio and/or Cleveland Metroparks?

A: A parasitic species of wasp native to China that preys only on emerald ash borer has been studied for three years by Michigan State University. The wasp, stingerless and the size of a sesame seed, lay their eggs inside of emerald ash borer larvae and eggs. The hatched wasps feed on the eggs and larvae, thus killing their hosts, before maturing as adults and flying off to repeat the cycle over again. Interestingly, the parasitic wasps home in exclusively on emerald ash borers, and only the borers already situated in ash trees. The USDA is undergoing a public comment process prior to conducting a limited release of the wasp in selected areas of Michigan. There has not been any word of a similar program in Ohio yet, pending what happens in Michigan with this trial program.

Background
The Emerald Ash Borer, a very small but destructive exotic beetle from Asia was discovered in July 2002 feeding on ash trees in southeastern Michigan. Metallic green in color, its slender body measures 1/2 inch in length and 1/8 wide. The average adult beetle can easily fit on a penny.

Larvae feed in the cambium between the bark and wood, producing galleries that eventually girdle and kill branches and entire trees. Evidence suggests that the Emerald Ash Borer has been established in Michigan for at least six to ten years. More than 3,000 square miles in southeastern Michigan are infested and more than 6 million ash trees are dead or dying from this pest.

An estimated 8 to 10 million ash trees (white, green, blue, black and pumpkin) have been killed and or removed as part of the ongoing infestation and eradication efforts. It has been detected in the now quarantined counties of Paulding, Defiance, Lucas, Wood, Henry and Fulton in Ohio (Franklin County has been declared EAB free just recently). Toledo Metroparks has begun removing 20,000 to 30,000 ash trees as a cooperative effort with Ohio Department of Agriculture due to an EAB infestation in their Oak Openings Park.

A lot has changed in detection, eradication, timber product utilization, homeowner loss. Reaction in the timber, nursery, landscaping and arboriculture sectors has been towards a cooperative strategy . Various organizations that preside over or interact with Ohio's Federal, State, County, Municipal and private forest lands are working together to formulate policies, positions and procedures that look at the long-term picture of EAB and go beyond the initial response of eradication efforts. The strategy for EAB is an adaptive management situation,that means things change quickly. By no means are today's eradication efforts going to be the final and definitive way of dealing with this pest. The Ohio Department of Agriculture as well as the Michigan and Indiana Department of Agriculture are doing the utmost to contain and stop the spread of EAB, and have gone a long way to prevent what could have been a much larger spread of this pest.

What can you do?

· Don't move firewood. People unknowingly contribute to the spread of EAB when they move firewood. EAB larvae can survive hidden under the bark of firewood. Play it safe: don't move any firewood and you won't move any beetles.

· Visually inspect your trees. Early detection is a key factor. If trees display any sign or symptom of EAB infestation, contact your State agriculture agency. Early symptoms of an infestation include:

dead branches near the top of a tree
wild leafy shoots growing out from lower trunk
D-shaped exit holes
bark splits exposing S-shaped tunnels.

· Ask questions. If you receive ash nursery stock, know its origin and your supplier. EAB larvae may be hiding under the tree bark.

Firewood Alert

Do not move firewood into or through Cleveland Metroparks at any time.
Enforced by Cleveland Metroparks Rangers under Park regulation 541.01

• Firewood may NOT be brought into cleveland metroparks under Any circumstances.

• Firewood may NOT be dumped in Cleveland Metroparks

• Firewood (other than what is provided by Cleveland Metroparks for public pick-up) may NOT BE TRANSPORTED THROUGH Cleveland Metroparks at any time.

• Split firewood, provided by Cleveland Metroparks at reserved facilities, nature centers and golf clubhouses may NOTBE MOVED TO OTHER LOCATIONS OR REMOVED FROM CLEVELAND METROPARKS.

For more information, contact 216-635-3200

Emerald Ash Borer photos

Signs & symptoms of Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer Infestation

Emerald Ash Borer Firewood Policies

Raccoon Strain Rabies has been identified in raccoons in Lake and Geauga Counties. A raccoon in Cleveland Metroparks has tested positive for this illness, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) has asked Cleveland Metroparks to assist them in preventing the spread of this disease. Rabies is spread via saliva so transmission risk is low if you:

Don't feed wildlife

Don't allow your pets to chase or come in contact with wildlife by keeping your pet leashed

Raccoon-strain Rabies Inter-Agency Management Set for September 04, 2007 Start Date
The Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and Cleveland Metroparks distributes the oral rabies vaccine packets (ORV) through a combination of aerial ORV drops, ground drops by board of health staff and ground drops by various Cleveland Metroparks employees.

Since 2004, the USDA-APHIS (Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service) has targeted eastern Ohio to concentrate efforts on identifying locations of raccoon-strain rabies confirmations and following this work with bi-annual ORV distribution. A rabies-positive raccoon was found in Chardon, OH in April of 2004 which triggered a sampling of road-killed raccoons. This led to other discoveries in Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties the same year. USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services designated the Cuyahoga River as the westernmost line of raccoon-strain rabies spread. APHIS then contacted the Cleveland Metroparks and requested permission to conduct intensive raccoon-rabies surveys throughout east-side reservations.

In 2007, USDA-APHIS based the Ohio operation out of the North Chagrin Reservation Operations Management Center. Raccoon sampling work extended from Lake County southward through Portage County. Early results showed a reduction of rabies attributed to the ORV distribution. If dogs and or cats ingest an ORV, they are in effect, receiving a free rabies booster with no ill effects. If a child ingests or handles an ORV, they will not be harmed, however it is suggested that their doctor is notified and the child’s hands are washed. An information phone/contact number is printed on the side of the ORV, but many times, it is faded or weathered off.

If you have any questions or concerns contact: Ed Kuilder, Natural Resource Division (440) 439-8603 ejk@clevelandmetroparks.com

Report any abnormal raccoon behavior to the nearest nature center or ranger station. Abnormal behavior might include, uncoordinated movements, matted fur, excessive salivation, or a sick appearance.

Rabies is an acute viral disease that can be transmitted from wild animals to unvaccinated pets and livestock, as well as to humans. It is caused by the rabies virus, which is present in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted through infected secretions (usually through the bite of a rabid animal). Once infection occurs, the virus spreads to the central nervous system and causes inflammation in the brain (acute encephalitis). Untreated rabies is almost always fatal.

This development reinforces the need for oral raccoon rabies vaccinations. The Ohio Department of Health, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Lake County General Health District, and Cleveland Metroparks are working together on an oral rabies vaccination project. The project was planned last fall in response to the 44 rabid raccoons and skunk that were detected in 2004 in Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake Counties. Vaccine laden fishmeal baits have been dispersed in urban and suburban areas that are considered raccoon habitat by ground teams operating in vehicles. Vaccine sachets coated with fish meal have been dropped from low flying aircraft. Should residents find these oral rabies vaccines, they are advised not to touch them with bare hands, but to use gloves or a towel and place into vegetative cover or to dispose in the garbage.

Park visitors are advised to avoid contact with wildlife, including feeding or pursuing animals. If you encounter a coyote, do not confront or try to "shoo" it away, instead walk away in the opposite direction. Dogs walked in Cleveland Metroparks are always required to be on a short, 8-foot leash and should not be allowed to harass wildlife. To protect companion animals and your family from the rabies virus, residents in Cuyahoga and Lake Counties are required by local regulations to have their animals vaccinated for rabies.

What is a Coyote?
The coyote, Canis latrans , is a widely distributed dog-like carnivore which can be found in virtually all of North and Central America. Originally a prairie animal, their range has spread eastward in the last half-century.

How Do I Know if I See a Coyote?
Coyotes are easily confused with medium-sized, longhaired domestic or feral dogs. They most closely resemble a small German shepherd dog. They stand about 2 feet tall and weigh between 20 and 50 pounds. Coyotes run with their tail held down rather than parallel with the ground or high over the back as dogs usually do. Good field markings include a long, pointed snout; ears erect and pointed; and tail round and fluffy. Most will show a thin, but obvious dark line running down the front leg to the foot. The long hairs on the back are tipped with black and create a dark band across the back that extends to the tail, the tip of which is black.

How Long Have Coyotes Been in Ohio?
Although coyotes have been in Ohio for more than 60 years, they were scarce until recently. The first confirmed coyote specimen in Ohio was taken from Preble County in 1947. The first confirmed coyote in Cuyahoga County appears to be in 1983, when one was killed on I-77 near Harvard Road.

Where Do Coyotes Live?
The coyote can be found in a wide variety of habitats including urban and suburban environments. It is considered to be one of the most adaptable carnivores to tolerating human presence. Coyotes diets are made up of about 90% mammals, mostly small mice and other rodents, rabbits, carrion and occasionally young deer and livestock; also ground nesting birds, reptiles and amphibians and berries and fruits. Meadow voles make up a large portion of their local diet.

Are There Many Coyotes? When Do They Hunt? How Long Do They Live?
Coyotes are most active in evening and at night. They are often solitary in Ohio but may hunt in pairs or small family groups in fall and winter. Each pair or family group may range over several square miles. At least four dozen coyotes live in various locations in Cleveland Metroparks. They are not pack animals and do not cooperate together in hunting. They may live as long as 10 years in the wild, though probably 5 to 6 years is more common. There are coyotes in every county in Ohio.

Are There Coyotes in Cleveland Metroparks?
There are active coyote dens in several locations in Cleveland Metroparks. They have been seen eating grasshoppers, rabbits and scavenging on dead road-killed deer. There is no indication that they are hunting and eating healthy adult deer in Ohio. Like most healthy wildlife populations, they have expanded their range into new habitats and gradually multiplied where they have found sufficient food and cover.

What is the role of the Coyote in Cleveland Metroparks?
Cleveland Metroparks promotes the conservation of healthy wildlife populations throughout its reservations. Coyotes have become a normal part of the wildlife populations of the Park District as well as suburbs throughout Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio.

Am I or My Children In Danger From Coyote Attack?
Coyotes are normally shy and retiring and rarely show themselves to humans. During the month of April, there have been occasional reports of females showing less fear of people while protecting a den or pups. On occasion, coyotes do kill small dogs and cats left unattended. People living in areas with coyotes should not leave small dogs or cats outside and unattended at night.

What Can I do To Keep Coyotes from Becoming a Nuisance?
Coyotes learn quickly and can become dependant upon humans feeding them either intentionally or unintentionally. Remove brush piles and other large debris from your backyard. Keep lids on your garbage cans and don't leave pet food out overnight.

How Long Have Black Bears Been in Ohio?
Although black bears inhabited Ohio prior to the settlement of the region, by the 1850's black bears were considered extirpated (removed completely) from Ohio. Unregulated hunting and deforestation as farms, towns, and industry were established in Ohio in the 1800's contributed to the reduction of the number of bears residing in Ohio. Remaining bears were either shot or trapped to protect livestock and crops. Occasional black bear sightings prompted the development of a formal black bear reporting procedure in 1993. The reports suggest that Ohio supports a small breeding population of black bears.

Black Bears in Cuyahoga County
Since 1995 there have been 15 black bear sightings in Cuyahoga County. It is important to remember that each sighting does not indicate a different bear. For example, there have been 5 reported sightings in 2005, all reports of the same bear by different people.

Most of the sightings reported since 1995 have come from the Chagrin River Valley. Most of these bears are probably young males (18 months to 3 years) because young bears move from place to place (usually to places with lower bear populations such as Ohio) to avoid confortation with older male bears that are very territorial during the summer months when mating occurs. Adult male bears will kill young male bears within their territory. Non-breeding males often do not have their own territory so they wander, covering a hundred miles or more. Once the young black bears make it to highly developed ares of northeastern Ohio, they become uncomfortable amongst the large human population and return eastward from where they came. Black bears that have been spotted in Cuyahoga County probably return to overwinter in the dense forests of western Pennsylvania.

What is a Black Bear?
The black bear, Ursus americanus, is the most common species of bear in North America. Bears are a crepuscular animal, which means they are most active early in the morning and late in the evening. Bears in areas of high human population will often adjust their schedule and become active at night when few people are around. They are omnivores; they eat a variety of foods from fruits and grasses to meat.

How Do I know if I See a Black Bear?
Black bears can appear in a range of color phases that include black, chocolate brown, cinnamon brown and blue-black. An adult black bear can weigh between 150 and 700 pounds, but the average weight for a male is 300 pounds and 175 pounds for a female. Males measure between five and six feet tall when standing upright, while females are smaller at four to five feet tall when standing upright. Most adult black bears are between two and a half and three feet tall at the shoulders when on all fours. Although black bears grow to be quite large they weigh only 8 ounces at birth!

Where Do Black Bears Live?
Black bears have a large home range and travel often. Studies have indicated the home ranges of males to be 100 to 120 square miles. Females have smaller home ranges at 24 to 50 square miles. Black bears can be found from coast to coast throughout North America in a wide variety of the more heavily wooded habitats from swamps and wetlands to dry hardwood and coniferous forests. Black bears hibernate in their overwintering dens between November and March.

Life Cycle of Black Bears
Black bears breed mid-June to mid-July and give birth sometime during January or February. First litters usually have only one cub while later litters produce two or three cubs. Black bears generally produce one litter every other year. Care is provided entirely by the mother. Cubs stay with their mother until they are about 1.5 to 2 years old. Black bears can live to 25 years or more in the wild.

Am I or My Children in Danger From a Black Bear Attack?
Black bears are a very small portion of the state's wildlife population, so the chances of seeing one are extremely slim. If you do encounter a bear, leave it alone and allow it to continue on its way. Bears try to avoid interaction with people.

What Can I Do To Keep Black Bears From Becoming a Nuisance?
Although black bears try to avoid human interaction they occasionally become a nuisance around human populated areas. Try to manage your household waste in a place where bears cannot get to it and look for food. You should never feed a bear. Bears may lose their fear of humans and become a nuisance or even aggressive towards people in situations where people are feeding them. When this happens the bear may have to be relocated or even destroyed.

The West Nile Virus (WNV) is a viral disease previously seen only in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. In 1999, an unexpected outbreak of WNV occurred in New York City. In 2000, the virus spread east and south, causing 21 human cases of WNV encephalitis in the United States including two deaths. The WNV was detected in Erie, Pennsylvania in summer 2000, which indicates that the virus will be found in northeastern Ohio in 2001. The virus can cause encephalitis, an infection of the brain and spinal cord. The WNV is spread by infected mosquitos.

The Center for Disease Control reports that even in areas where mosquitos have been tested and are found to carry the virus, very few mosquitos - less than 1% - are infected. If a mosquito is infected, less than 1% of the people who are bitten and become infected will get severely ill. The chances of becoming severely ill from any mosquito bite are extremely small.

Cleveland Metroparks is adopting a proactive policy regarding the WNV. The Park District is actively cooperating with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) which are leading the efforts in managing this issue. Cleveland Metroparks will participate with the CCBH and the ODH to monitor mosquitos. The Park District will trap mosquitos at a number of locations in the Park District. Mosquitos that are trapped will be transported to the CCBH or ODH for testing.

Healthy wetlands, like those found in Cleveland Metroparks do not provide the best breeding sites for the type of mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus - Culex pipiens. Natural populations of predators (fish & amphibians) and parasites control larval mosquito populations. Flowing or standing water with "wave or ripple action" serves as a poor breeding site for Culex mosquitos.

Sites that hold standing water like tire ruts and receptacles including retention basins, discarded tires, and outdoor pots, will attract and serve as prime breeding areas for Culex pipiens because those catchments hold few natural predators. Cleveland Metroparks will make every effort to minimize these breeding sites by recycling trash promptly and reducing or eliminating any management activities that produce tire ruts or depressions.

The "Fact Sheets" from the CCBH listed below should answer most questions you may have. Please contact them at (216) 443-7520 for more information.

Before August 1999, West Nile virus had never been reported in the United States. In 1999, 62 cases of severe disease and 7 deaths occurred in New York. The number of human cases recorded during the year 2000 West Nile virus outbreak in the USA was 20 with 2 deaths.

Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds, which may circulate the virus in their blood for a few days. After an incubation period of 5 to 15 days, infected mosquitoes can then transmit West Nile virus to humans and animals while biting to take blood. The virus is located in the mosquito's salivary glands. During blood feeding, the virus is then injected into the animal or human, where it multiplies and may cause illness.

There is no documented evidence that a woman's pregnancy is at risk due to West Nile virus.

There is no evidence that a person can get the virus from handling live or dead infected birds. however, avoid bare-handed contact when handling dead animals, including dead birds. Use gloves or double plastic bags to place the carcass in a garbage can.

There is no specific therapy for West Nile encephalitis. There is no vaccine against West Nile encephalitis.

The incubation period in humans (i.e. time from infection to onset of disease symptoms) for West Nile encephalitis is usually 5 to 15 days.

The West Nile virus case fatality rates range from 3% to 15% and is highest in the elderly.

Following transmission by an infected mosquito, West Nile virus multiplies in the person's blood system and, in severe cases, crosses the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. The virus interferes with normal central nervous system functioning and causes inflammation of brain tissue.

Less than 1% of the mosquitoes have West Nile virus in areas where West Nile virus is present.

To obtain more information about west Nile virus, call the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at (2160 443-7520 or visit our website at www.ccbh.net

Q: What can I do to reduce my risk of becoming infected with West Nile virus?

A: From April to October, when mosquitoes are most active, take the following precautions:

A: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water around the home. Weeds, tall grass, and bushes provide an outdoor home for the adult Culex pipiens mosquito (the common house mosquito) which is most commonly associated with West Nile virus. Mosquitoes can enter the home through unscreened windows or doors, or broken screens.

A: Birds become involved through the bite of an infected misquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds that serve as a reservoir for the virus. Infected mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus to humans.

A: In 1999, it was determined that West Nile virus was responsible for a significant number of bird deaths in New York City and in surrounding areas. However, since birds can die of many different causes, finding a dead bird does not necessarily mean that the virus is present.

A: The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is taking reports on dead bird sightings within Cuyahoga County, especially crows and blue jays. While the Cuyahoga County Board of Health is interested in collecting information about dead birds as part of its efforts to understand West Nile virus, we will not be picking up every dead bird reported. The Board of Health will only collect a small sample of the bird population. However, we encourage Cuyahoga County residents to report all dead bird sightings to assist the department's monitoring efforts.

Q: If the Cuyahoga County Board of Health is going to pick up dead birds, then what do I do?

A: Wear plastic gloves if available and place the bird in a plastic bag and tie the bag and place it in another plastic bag and tie it closed. If gloves are not available, then place a plastic bag over your hand and pick up the bird with the bagged hand and pull the bag over your hand holding the bird now in the bag. Tie up the bag and place it in another bag and tie it closed. If possible, place the bird in your freezer or place in a cool area out of direct sunlight. If you are not able to place the bird in a bag, then please place a bucket or bag over the bird to protect it from insects or animals.

A: If you do not receive a phone call from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to arrange pick up of the dead bird within 24 hours after you report it or by the next business day, please dispose of the dead bird. West Nile virus cannot spread directly from birds to people. However, dead birds should not be handled with bare hands. Use gloves to carefully place dead birds in a double plastic bag and then place the dead birds in the outdoor trash or bury on your property.

A: Since certain species of of mosquitoes feed abundantly on birds, testing birds for West Nile virus is particulary important for surveillance and control of mosquito-borne diseases. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health will submit dead birds, as well as blood samples from live birds, for testing as part of the West Nile Surveillance and Control Plan.

A: West Nile virus was isolated from a dead cat during the New York area outbreak in 1999. Most dogs or cats infected with the West Nile virus recover from the infection. A sero-survey of healthy dogs in New York City and Nassau County indicated a 5-11% infection rate. there is no specific therapy, but in more severe cases, supportive treatment may be indicated.

Q: Can infected dogs or cats be carriers and transmitters of West Nile virus to humans?

A: West Nile virus is transmitted by infectious mosquitoes. there is no documented evidence of person-to-person, animal-to-animal, or animal-to-person transmission of West Nile virus. Veterinarians should take normal infection control precautions when caring for an animal suspected to have this or any other viral infection.

A: Dogs and cats become infected the same way humans become infected; by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Q: Can a dog or cat infected with West Nile virus infect other dogs or cats?

A: No. There is no documented evidence that West Nile Virus is transmitted from animal to animal.

Q: Should a dog or cat infected with West Nile virus be euthanized? What is the treatment for an animal infected with West Nile virus?

A: No. there is no reason to euthanize an animal infected with West Nile virus. Refer to your veterinarian for proper care of your sick pet. Full recovery from the infection is likely. Treatment would be supportive and consistent with standard veterinary practices for animals infected with a viral agent.