Bird flu has been in the United States since January. It's carried and spread by wild birds, mostly water fowl, and it poses a significant risk to poultry flocks and those who depend on them for a living. In Iowa, so far, more than 13.3 million commercial and backyard domestic birds have either been killed by the virus or culled to stop the spread. This is the worst outbreak of bird flu since 2015.
On this episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks to Iowa State University Extension Wildlife Specialist, and assistant professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Adam Janke and veterinarian Rachel Ruden, state wildlife veterinarian with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources about bird flu moving through wild bird populations and what the consequences may be.
Later in the podcast, Susan Abel of Cedar Rapids is originally from Kenya and she’s using poetry to share Swahili, her native language, with others.
Guests:
- Adam Janke, assistant professor, Extension wildlife specialist, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, ISU
- Rachel Ruden, state wildlife veterinarian for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Susan Abel, bilingual liaison, Cedar Rapids School District
