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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A recent ban meant to protect Ohio's $2.3 billion poultry industry from a deadly bird flu virus has hampered educational wildlife presentations, environmental educators and volunteers argue.
The Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association has requested to meet with the state's agriculture department to find a compromise on the ban, the Dayton Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1GXjK9n ).
Ohio announced the ban in June due to the threat of the bird flu virus that has led to the deaths of 48 million birds. The order canceled poultry auctions, swap meets and all other gatherings of birds for show or sale as well as fairs.
Wildlife and nature center officials said the virus hasn't been an issue with birds of prey, but they've still had to cancel wild bird presentations under the ban.
The Glen Helen Raptor Center in Yellow Springs recently had to cancel a presentation due to the ban, said center director Betty Ross. The center frequently gives presentations at libraries around southwest Ohio on birds of prey and other wildlife topics.
"This is hitting the poultry industry," Ross said. "It's not really wild birds. So far, wild birds, especially raptors, have not been an issue at all."
The Bruckner Nature Center in Troy is also making modifications to its bird programs because of the ban, said Becky Crow, center curator and president of the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.
The bird flu strain hasn't been confirmed in Ohio, but officials suspect the virus could be present in the state's wild bird population, said Ohio Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Erica Hawkins.
The risk of a bird flu outbreak can increase when birds are kept outside and have contact with wild birds, Hawkins said.
"At this point, the risk kind of outweighs the benefit which is why the prohibition was put into place," she said.
The agriculture department says the earliest the ban would be lifted is 2016.
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