Avian flu feared in Canadian polar bears after disease kills bear in Alaska

By The Canadian Press on January 4, 2024.

Scientists fear Canadian polar bears may be threatened by the spread of avian flu after officials confirmed the disease killed a bear in Alaska.

University of Alberta polar bear expert Andrew Derocher says there’s a high likelihood the deadly wildlife disease already exists in animals on the Canadian side.

Alaskan officials confirmed avian flu after a necropsy on the bear, found on the coast about 500 kilometres from the Canadian border.

But Derocher says those procedures are hardly ever performed on dead bears found in Canada.

Polar bears can range hundreds of kilometres and the dead bear was part of a population shared by the two countries.

Derocher says it’s not clear yet what effect the disease could have on bear populations.

But he says it’s one more stressor on a species that’s already under pressure from climate change.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2024.

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