ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Zoo is temporarily closing two of its bird exhibits after the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (bird flu) has been detected in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties.

The Zoo tweeted this morning that it is closing the Bird House and Cypress Swamp (Flight Cage) until further notice. The Zoo says some of its birds are able to remain safely outside, protected by their habitats. Other birds have been moved indoors where guests won’t be able to see them.

The Penguin & Puffin Coast will close at 4 p.m. daily so staff can complete deep cleaning of the habitat. The measures are in place to mitigate common areas of human and animal foot traffic, which is one way the virus can spread. The zoo is also working with the Missouri State Veterinarian, United States Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Conservation. It is prepared to take more steps if necessary.

On its Facebook page, the St. Louis Zoo said this is an important and necessary proactive step to ensure the safety of the animals in its care. The primary risk to the birds at the Zoo would come from wild birds that land on Zoo grounds during migration. 

Wednesday, St. Louis County reported a wild bird was found with the virus. It’s the sixth case of bird flu found in Missouri this year. There was also a case reported in St. Charles County but it’s unknown the type of bird affected.

The Zoo stressed in its post that the virus does not post any immediate human health concerns at the Zoo.

You can read more about what to do if you find a bird acting by visiting Spectrum News St. Louis' previous coverage about bird flu.