Bird flu detected in Kent County, Delaware, flock, officials say

By Laura Fay

January 10, 2026 / 7:02 PM EST / CBS Philadelphia

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/bird-flu-kent-county-delaware/

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Bird flu has been detected in Delaware, state agriculture officials said. 

Preliminary testing for a commercial broiler flock in Kent County has come back presumptive positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu, an announcement from the Delaware Department of Agriculture on Saturday said. 

The affected property has been placed under quarantine, and the birds are being killed to stop the virus from spreading, the announcement says.

Officials stressed that birds from the affected flock will not enter the food supply. 

Bird flu, a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus, affects poultry — including chickens, ducks and turkeys — and some wild bird species, including geese and shorebirds, the department said. 

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This is the first avian influenza case in Delaware in the 2025-26 waterfowl migratory season, officials say. 

The Department of Agriculture and University of Delaware lab system regularly test flocks for bird flu, the announcement says.

To prevent their flocks from contracting bird flu, officials suggest poultry owners keep their animals away from wild and migratory birds, isolate animals with signs of illness, disinfect equipment and other items, and limit the flock’s contact with people.

State biologists suspect avian flu in Franklin County vulture deaths

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by Allison Mullet&Sam BeckerWed, December 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM

https://wset.com/news/local/state-biologists-suspect-avian-flu-in-franklin-county-vulture-deaths-rocky-mount-dent-street-and-franklin-street-department-of-wildlife-resources-december-2025

Updated Wed, December 3, 2025 at 6:57 PM

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Black vultures (Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

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• Avian flu
• Vultures
• Franklin County
• Wildlife
• Avian influenza
• Department of Wildlife Resources
• Rocky Mount
• Disease testing

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — Numerous dead vultures were found in a creek bed on Tuesday, according to officials in Rocky Mount.

State and local agencies arrived at the wooded lot on the corner of Dent Street and Franklin Street to investigate the cause after a man spotted them while taking his daily walk along the sidewalk.

“I knew something was off, so I went over there and I seen and counted 37 dead vultures,” said Keith Bayne, the man who found the vultures. “So I knew something was very off.”

Bayne said normally there are lots of vultures in the creek, and he was shocked to see that nearly all of them had died. “Either something got in the water, or these vultures got bird flu,” he said.

A biologist with the Department of Wildlife Resources says they suspect avian influenza could be the cause of death for the vultures.

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Virginia Tech Animal Science Professor Mike Persia says it is not very common. “This is something fairly new that this is infected the vulture population,” Persia said.

The good news is that the creek the vulture was found in is not connected to the town’s drinking water. “The water is safe; this didn’t affect the water treatment plant or anything like that, so that’s good to know. But again, we’re trying to keep them away from that area,” Rocky Mount Mayor, Holland Perdue, said.

RELATED: Authorities investigating after numerous dead vultures found in Franklin County creek

Persia said this strain of bird flu is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with an infected bird. He said if one sick bird died here first, it would explain why so many others were impacted at once.

“All the vultures would be around that carcass and feeding on that carcass, so it sorta makes sense to me that that would be the mode of infection even though we don’t know for sure,” Persia said.

Persia said cases like this are rare. In fact, if this case of bird flu in these vultures is confirmed, it will be only the second time in Virginia that multiple vultures have died because of bird flu.

The Department of Wildlife Resources issued a statement in regards to this incident. You can read that below.

“Due to recent detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza in black vultures, the Department is treating this as a suspected case and is sending samples to be tested. DWR sends test samples to the University of Georgia – Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. DWR receives the results from these preliminary tests relatively quickly, and results will be communicated with the Town of Rocky Mount. Anything with a positive result in the preliminary test then gets sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for confirmatory testing.”

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A list of all the confirmed cases can be found HERE.

Birth of Endangered Bongo Antelope from Eland Surrogate Signals New Era for Wildlife Conservation

Historic Breakthrough in Veterinary Science: Birth of Endangered Bongo Antelope from Eland Surrogate Signals New Era for Wildlife Conservation Burleson, TX (November 19, 2025) — In a landmark scientific and conservation achievement, a critically endangered Bongo antelope has been born from a surrogate Eland antelope at Infinity Exotics in Central Texas, marking one of the most significant advances in wildlife reproductive science in decades. The healthy male calf, named Pope in honor of Dr. Earle Pope, the pioneering researcher who first achieved an interspecies embryo transfer between a Bongo and Eland in 1983, represents both a full-circle moment and a leap forward in the use of advanced reproductive technologies for endangered species. With fewer than 100 Eastern Bongos left in the wild, this achievement offers a new model for conservation. By successfully creating and implanting viable Bongo embryos into a closely related surrogate species, scientists can now explore new reproductive pathways to ensure the survival of animals whose populations are too small or fragmented to recover naturally. “We’ve proven what was once considered aspirational is now achievable, and that opens doors for endangered and exotic animals worldwide,” said Brent Teeter, founder and owner of Infinity Exotics. For decades, scientists and veterinarians have attempted to refine and replicate interspecies embryo transfers to help preserve species on the brink of extinction. Until now, consistent success has remained elusive. The birth at Infinity Exotics signals that the scientific community may finally have the tools, techniques, and precision needed to bring such methods into mainstream conservation practice. Dr. Will Weise, veterinarian on the project, added: “This calf represents decades of research and determination. It validates the belief that we can use modern veterinary science not only to treat animals, but to fundamentally change their conservation outlook. What we’ve learned here could be applied to countless species facing similar genetic and reproductive challenges.” “This is a pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of the Bongo antelope and other endangered species,” said Dr. Brittni East, veterinarian and founder of Exotic Wildlife Veterinary Services. “This breakthrough demonstrates that assisted reproductive technologies, once limited to agricultural or laboratory settings, can now be effectively adapted to save species at the edge of extinction.” The Infinity Exotics team and its partners will explore how these reproductive technologies can be scaled and standardized to support other endangered species around the world—providing new hope for the future of biodiversity. About Infinity ExoticsInfinity Exotics, founded by Brent Teeter, is a privately owned facility in Central Texas dedicated to breeding and managing rare and exotic wildlife. The organization integrates cutting-edge reproductive science, ethical animal management, and educational outreach to promote sustainable populations and preserve global biodiversity. About Dr. Brittni EastDr. Brittni East, veterinarian at Exotic Wildlife Veterinary Services provides specialized care for exotic and endangered animals across the U.S. and internationally. The team’s work combines veterinary medicine and field-based research to advance conservation and ensure the well-being of rare species. About Dr. Will WeiseDr. Will Weise is a wildlife veterinarian specializing in assisted reproduction and conservation medicine. His work focuses on applying reproductive technologies to endangered species, combining clinical innovation with a passion for preserving wildlife for generations to come.      Page 1 of 7

Officials: 90 dead birds removed from pond, deaths possibly caused by bird flu

Default Mono Sans Mono Serif Sans Serif Comic Fancy Small CapsDefault X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-LargeDefault Outline Dark Outline Light Outline Dark Bold Outline Light Bold Shadow Dark Shadow Light Shadow Dark Bold Shadow Light BoldDefault Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Default Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Crews remove 90 dead birds from Little Chute pond, possible deaths caused by bird flu. (SOURCE: WBAY)

By WBAY news staff and Andrew McMunn

Published: Mar. 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM PST

https://www.kbtx.com/2025/03/02/officials-90-dead-birds-removed-pond-deaths-possibly-caused-by-bird-flu/

LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) – At least 90 dead ducks were removed from a pond in Wisconsin, and officials are investigating if their deaths were caused by bird flu.

Kent Taylor, the public works director for the Village of Little Chute, said crews removed 90 dead mallards from a storm pond Wednesday.

“Several of our employees were viewing Facebook or social media, and they had seen that there were several reports that there were some dead ducks in our Buchanan storm pond,” Taylor said.

Officials contacted the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for help in removing the dead birds from the pond in Little Chute.

“We took their advice and they said we could clean up the ducks out of the pond, so our guys went in the pond with their waders on, and pulled all the ducks out,” Taylor said.

Taylor also said there is no danger to the public at this time. However, residents are wanting to know exactly what caused that number of birds to die.

“Is it pollution? Is it bird flu? I’d like to know what it is?” Ken Affeldt of Little Chute asked.

The DNR took samples from six of the dead mallards from the storm pond.

They said the results of of the tests may not been seen for a couple of weeks.

“Their biologists came out and explained to us that it looked very similar to what they had seen elsewhere in the county, particularly over in Kaukauna (Wisconsin) most recently, and they said it looked like it would be associated with the avian bird flu,” Taylor said.

Despite the unsettling scenes, Taylor said the village will continue to monitor the storm pond and take additional measures if dead birds keep turning up.

“That pond has harbored as many as a 1,000 to 2,000 waterfowl, most recently because it is open, there’s a warm water outlet into that pond. It’s a spot we take care of on a regular basis,” Taylor said.

After the ducks were removed from the pond, the DNR placed their carcasses in bags and brought them to the Outagamie County Landfill to be disposed of.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 12,215 cases of avian flu have been found in wild birds in the country.

The vast majority of avian flu cases have been found in poultry, with at least166 million birds affected.

Octopuses could be the next big species after humans

What has eight arms, a beaked mouth, and is poised to take over the planet when we’re all gone?

• https://theweek.com/science/octopus-next-species-replace-humans-evolution
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They’re smart and dexterous, but there are a lot of steps octopuses would need to go through before they become Earth’s next dominant species

(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

published 6 days ago

Last year, speculative fiction author Ray Nayler published “The Mountain in the Sea,” his first novel, depicting a not-too-distant future in which humankind is faced with an awe-inspiring (and deeply disquieting) possibility: that our singular perch atop the evolutionary ladder may not be quite so singular after all. In the novel, a newly discovered community of hyper-intelligent octopuses off the coast of Vietnam developed its own advanced language and the ability to use complex tools.

While Nayler’s story is wholly fictional, it is not without basis in a very real school of zoological thought, one which holds that octopuses are indeed unique within the animal kingdom as we understand it today. So much so that they may be Earth’s next big species if ours ends up going the way of the dinosaurs.

‘Filling an ecological niche in a post-human world’

While an octopus-dominated future may seem “improbable” at the moment, it “wouldn’t be the first time that an ocean-dwelling species took advantage of a land species extinction to adapt and evolve,” Popular Mechanics said. That would namely be us humans, whose distant ancestors were initially aquatic before becoming land-based mammals.

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Although birds and insects have demonstrated a capacity for complex thinking and tool usage, it’s octopuses that are a “potentially better candidate for filling an ecological niche in a post-human world,” Oxford University biologist Tim Coulson said to The European. They are some of the “most intelligent, adaptable and resourceful creatures on Earth,” and octopuses’ “advanced neural structure, decentralized nervous system and remarkable problem-solving skills” make certain types “well suited for an unpredictable world” under the right circumstances. They are even “capable of distinguishing between real and virtual objects, solving puzzles, interacting with their environment, handling intricate tools with their thumb-like tentacles, and thriving in a wide variety of habitats.”

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‘Not likely to develop a culture’

Octopuses have certain biological features that could, under the right circumstances, place them at the top of the evolutionary heap, but there are a lot of variables involved that could waylay any hopes of an octo-centric future. Absent some dramatic, unforeseen evolutionary leap, “octopuses are still working from a snail blueprint, and there’s only so much you can do with that toolbox,” said biologist Culum Brown of Australia’s Macquarie University at The Conversation. Crucially, octopuses’ evolutionary prospects are “highly constrained by their very short life span,” with most living for “just a year and some as little as six months.”

Dexterity and problem-solving skills aside, octopuses are unlikely to create a “human-like society because of their social habits,” said University of Sydney Philosophy of Science Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith to Popular Mechanics. In large part, that’s because octopus parents are virtually non-existent in their babies’ lives, meaning that in order to develop anything resembling a “culture” as we understand it, they would need to evolve to foster “more intergenerational connections.” Given that octopuses have been evolving for hundreds of millions of years without those sorts of multi-generational cultural advantages, it’s “unlikely that this will change anytime soon,” the magazine said.

Conversely, however, octopuses’ “hasty reproduction and quick intellectual maturity” could give them an “advantage in rapidly changing environments, thereby accelerating their evolutionary progress,” Earth.com said. “These are just possibilities,” Coulson said to The European. “It’s impossible to predict with any degree of certainty how evolution will unfold over extended periods.”