Botulism outbreak kills 75,000 birds at Northern California wildlife refuge

More than 75,000 birds have died due to a botulism outbreak at a wildlife refuge along the California border with Oregon.

The outbreak is at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and will likely continue for several more
weeks. This could lead to the deaths of thousands of more birds, according to the Bird Alliance of Oregon, a nonprofit group.

A document about conditions at the refuge issued in early September by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that several diseases were detected throughout the summer and that the “disease outbreak this year will be one of the worst on record,” although at the time the agency estimated that more than 60,000 birds would be affected.

The refuge is located in parts of Siskiyou and Modoc counties , about 300 miles north of Sacramento.

Avian botulism is a disease caused by bacteria that can lead to disruptions in nerve function, including paralysis and respiratory failure.

Botulism thrives in shallow, stagnant water and areas with low oxygen, such as wetlands with less water and those that have a lot of dead vegetation.

Most birds end up drowning, and their infected carcasses could make the outbreak worse.

According to the Bird Alliance, the outbreak began in August and actions were taken by several groups to release more water into Tule Lake and parts of the Klamath Basin, but these were not enough to stop it.

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