SAN ANTONIO — Dead wild vultures at the San Antonio Zoo have tested "non-negative" for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, on Sunday.
The zoo said on a social media post that Hixon Bird House, Lory Landing and Flamingo Mingle will be closed starting Monday, and fish feeders will be emptied to limit the attraction of more birds.
This isn’t the first Texas area bird flu has potentially spread to. Earlier this month, vultures at a New Braunfels park tested positive for the virus, as well as birds found in Hays County and Austin.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the current public health risk of bird flu is low and there has been no person-to-person spread of the virus.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department gave some recommendations to limit the spread of the virus:
Limit unnecessary contact with wild birds
Take down all bird feeders and bird baths or be sure to clean them several times each week with a bleach solution
Do not handle any sick or dead wildlife or allow pets to eat wild carcasses
Some birds at the San Antonio Zoo are being temporarily relocated off-site.