Two cougars, raccoon in Washington recently diagnosed with bird flu

Biologists and veterinarians with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said they are seeing an increase in likely cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Washington wildlife, including two cougars and a raccoon.

According to the United States Geological Survey, “highly pathogenic” and “low pathogenic” strains refer to the potential for the viruses to cause severe illness or death.

This fall, WDFW identified numerous cases of HPAI in wild birds, especially in western Washington. On Thursday, WDFW said it had just confirmed HPAI infections of the H5N1(bird flu) subtype in two cougars in Clallam County and a raccoon from Walla Walla.

WDFW said while the spread of the virus from birds to mammals is concerning, it is not surprising because the cases are directly related to animals scavenging on infected wild birds.

The agency said that since 2023, it has found cases of bird flu in striped skunks and a bobcat in northeast Washington, harbor seals in Puget Sound, and raccoons in various areas, in addition to the recent raccoon and cougar cases.

Since Oct. 2024, HPAI has been detected in these birds and mammals:

• Bald eagle – King County
• Cackling goose – Snohomish County
• Cougars – Clallam County
• Crow – King County
• Great horned owl – Skagit County
• Green-winged teal – Jefferson County
• Raccoon – Walla Walla County
• Red tailed hawk – Clallam County
• Snow goose – Skagit and Whatcom counties
• Snowy plover – Pacific County
• Trumpeter swan – Skagit, Island counties

Bird flu has also been detected in red foxes, striped skunks, and bobcats in other North American states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a web map showing confirmed wild mammal HPAI cases in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other mammals may become infected as HPAI viruses evolve.

The CDC says the risk of HPAI H5N1 to humans is low.