Indianapolis, IN — Sixty-nine of Indiana’s 92 counties are reporting sick or dying birds.
Ripley, Decatur, and Dearborn are among the counties where people are finding songbirds suffering from the mystery illness killing birds across the country.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to recommend that all Hoosiers remove their birdfeeders during the investigation into the cause of the outbreak.
DNR is working with the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and the USGS National Wildlife Health Center to determine what is killing or making the birds sick.
The following steps are recommended statewide:
• Use the DNR sick/dead wildlife reporting tool at www.on.IN.gov/sickwildlife to alert DNR staff.
• Stop feeding birds until the mortality event has concluded.
• Clean feeders and baths with a 10% bleach solution.
• Avoid handling birds. If you need to handle birds, wear disposable gloves.
• When removing dead birds, wear disposable gloves and place birds and gloves in a sealable plastic bag to dispose of along with household trash.
• Keep pets away from sick or dead birds as a precaution.
