Bird flu suspected in pheasant farm near Ithaca

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said a suspected outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is being investigated at Reynolds Game Farm. The farm, just east of Ithaca City near the Cornell University campus, is a DEC facility that breeds ring-necked pheasants for release into the wild.

In a press release, the DEC said it opened the investigation into the suspicious deaths on March 20 and initial test results indicate a possible outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus. The agency said it is working closely with animal health experts from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory to determine next steps to the farm.

The DEC said the Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention indicates that the recent detections of HPAI in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. Cases of HPAI in humans are rare and symptoms are usually mild. The risk of a person being infected is low.

AI is a strain of the influenza virus that primarily affects birds, including commercial and backyard poultry flocks. HPAI has been circulating in wild birds in North America since early 2022 and has already been confirmed in wild birds in Tompkins County, where Reynolds Game Farm is located.

The DEC said the farm uses rigorous biosecurity protocols, including fencing and overhead netting to keep large birds like hawks, owls, ducks, geese and gulls out of the enclosures. Staff also carry out regular disease surveillance. The Reynolds Pheasant Flock is a USDA National Poultry Improvement Plan Certified Flock. The NPIP is a state-federal cooperative testing and certification program for poultry breeding flocks that includes surveillance for avian influenza, pullorosis, fowl typhoid and other infectious diseases.

The DEC said it would continue to work with state and federal partners “in a rapid and thorough response to the suspected outbreak.”

Farm-raised pheasants are distributed to volunteers for release through the Cornell Cooperative Extension network.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County held a workshop at Cayuga Community College on March 15 on raising day-old pheasant chicks.

“Without propagation and release programs, pheasant hunting opportunities would not exist in New York City,” the extension said in a press release.

Approximately 40,000 day-old chicks are hatched and distributed each year through the program. Program participants include 4-H youth, sports clubs, landowners, farmers and schools.