A GIANT petrel carcass on Coogee Beach that prompted a flurry of calls to the state’s animal disease hotline has returned a negative result for bird flu, but locals are scratching their head as to why it wasn’t immediately removed or buried.

Petrels were amongst Australia’s first confirmed cases of the H5N1 strain when they were picked up in the Esperance region last month.

Leanne Strickland heads the volunteer-run Cockburn Pets and Wildlife, which has been trying to raise awareness about the impact avian flu could have on local bird populations and other animals if it takes hold on the Australian mainland, and says she was surprised the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development left the carcass after testing.

“My understanding is that one of the ways and modes of transmission of bird flu is through cats picking up dead birds and becoming infected,” Ms Strickland said.

“Cats have a 70 per cent mortality rate if they catch it.

“It’s also a risk to other birds, so if you get a predatory bird like a crow or a hawk – the carnivores – and they start pecking at the dead bird, they can also become infected.”

Ms Strickland said apart from reducing the chance of the disease spreading, removing the petrel would have stopped more calls to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline, which has been experiencing unprecedented demand recently.

She says there’s a lot of local complacency around the threat avian flu poses, despite the disease having led to millions of poultry chickens being destroyed in the US and Asia, wild bird colonies collapsing and some mammal species experiencing devastating breeding seasons.

Ms Strickland is particularly concerned about WA’s black cockatoos, saying parrots have not fared well overseas, while there’s questions hanging over its impact on swans and pelicans 

She recommends domestic chicken owners enclose their yards with netting, people clean their birdbaths daily and keep them on concrete floors that can also be regularly washed, and most importantly report sick animals to the hotline.

“We don’t want to get to the point that people are chasing native birds around their backyard to keep them away, but they should be prepared to take some practical steps,” she said.

Cockburn councillor Phil Eva contacted the council administration after hearing about the carcass remaining on on the beach, and said it was followed up with an email to DPIRD.

“It’s a real concern, given it was on a public beach like Coogee, where people are walking their dogs and taking young children,” Cr Eva said.

“I saw it last night and was at the South Coogee Volunteer Fire Brigade and it’s all everyone was talking about.”

A spokesperson for DPIRD said the bird carcass has now been removed and it will “continue to work with landholders and managers on procedures around carcass management.

“There is currently no evidence of H5 bird fslu in Western Australia. There have been four individual detections in migratory seabirds in Esperance and Quindalup.

“DPIRD is prioritising testing across the state.”

It said reports to the hotline were routinely investigated, but “there is no suggestion any of these reports will be H5 bird flu”.

“DPIRD is encouraging the community to report unwell or deceased birds through to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.”

WA Wildlife CEO Dean Huxley said they’d already taken in 11 sick pelagic bird species and had to euthanise a couple which showed neurological injuries, which is one of the symptoms of avian flu.

But he said around half had already tested negative and were being prepared for rehabilitation.

“So from our perspective it’s not overly concerning, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it tested negative.”

But Mr Huxley said the centre’s resources were already being stretched through extra rescues because people were more reluctant to handle sick birds, while they’ve been frustrated by a lack of commitment from the WA government.

He says for the last 12 months the centre has been calling for an MOU outlining how bird flu cases should be treated, as well as certainty on how the response will be funded.

Mr Huxley said centre would need protective equipment for staff and demountables at its Bibra Lake base, which would require a time-consuming and expensive development application.

“We don’t want to go through the process of putting in a development application and bringing in architects and planners, only to be later told ‘no’.”

But he praised DPIRD and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for their communication over bird flu.

by STEVE GRANT