ROCK SPRINGS — At first, it was just a few. A lifeless dove found near a curb. Another beneath a tree.
Then dozens more, mostly found within a tight radius in Rock Springs known as the “Tree Streets.”
“I don’t have an exact number,” said Regina Dickson, an information and education specialist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “But over 30 that we know of — and we’ve got a lot more calls coming in.”
What’s killing these doves? A virus called avian paramyxovirus — deadly to pigeons and doves, including both the non-native Eurasian collared dove and the migratory mourning dove.
This particular strain is not believed to affect humans or pets, but wildlife officials are watching it closely, the agency told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
“There’s no concern at this point for zoonotic transmission,” said Liz Wheeler, a disease biologist at the Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Health Lab. “The initial testing for avian influenza came back negative, and that was the concern for potential human exposure.”
While some strains of paramyxovirus — like Newcastle’s disease — can severely impact poultry, Wheeler confirmed that the dead doves found in Rock Springs initially tested negative for that more virulent form.
But the state is following protocol and sending the samples out for confirmation.
“There’s no reason to believe those results will change,” Wheeler said. “But because Newcastle’s disease would be such a big deal, they send it off for confirmation just to be sure.”
In The ‘Tree Streets’
The first confirmed cases came from a Rock Springs neighborhood where the streets are named after trees, a part of town locals sometimes refer to as the “Tree Streets.”
While most reports have come from Rock Springs, Game and Fish “did get a call about some dead doves in Casper” last week, Dickson said.
Wheeler clarified that no testing has been done on birds from Casper and there is no confirmed outbreak of a disease there.
“Almost all the affected birds came from a very small area in Rock Springs,” Wheeler said.
The virus, which is always present in the environment, spreads quickly when birds congregate in high numbers.
“It’s similar to the flu in humans,” Dickson said. “When you have a large population congregating and one gets sick, it spreads fast.”
Infected birds may exhibit neurological symptoms like weakness, respiratory issues and diarrhea, or die suddenly without warning.
That’s why Game and Fish is urging the public to take down all bird feeders and baths, disinfect them with a diluted bleach solution and leave them down for at least a month.
“We want to avoid creating situations that cause those birds to congregate,” Dickson said.
Officials are also asking people to report sightings of three or more dead birds, especially if found in a single area.
The Green River Game and Fish Office can be reached at 307-875-3223, and the Wildlife Health Lab is available at 307-745-5865.
Wheeler emphasized that while there’s no concern about the virus spreading to humans or pets, officials are still taking the outbreak seriously to protect Wyoming’s wild bird populations.
“We want to get a handle on it so it’s not affecting larger populations of wild birds,” she said. “But we’re not seeing anything right now that would raise concern for transmission beyond those species.”
