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Avian Influenza Information: Reporting Dead or Sick Wild Birds

• Avoid handling sick or dead birds.
  • If you must handle a dead bird (i.e. to removing it from you  property), wear gloves and a mask, double bag the carcass, and then performing good hand hygiene practices after contact and disposal. Put the carcass in your  garbage pickup or at the landfill
  • If waste from sick or dead birds gets on your clothes or shoes, wash clothing in hot water and  disinfect shoes (after removing any contamination such as visible poop) by spraying the outside with a benzalkonium chloride based commercial disinfectant (like Lysol* spray or similar product) and allow them to dry.
• Keep  pets away from sick or dead birds.
• Do not  bring sick birds home.  Do not take them to a wildlife rehabilitator.
• If you find 5 (five) or more sick or dead flocking birds within a week,  or a solitary bird or mammal, report it to the local Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife biologist or state conservation officer.  The DNR is also interested in reports of solitary birds or mammals.
  • DNR contact information https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/contacts/wildlife_management.pdf
  • https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Law%20Enforcement/dnrlemap.pdf