VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach announced that some of its birds have tested positive for avian influenza. The farm believes the bird flu was introduced by migratory waterfowl.
As a result, the farm will be closed for the weekend of Jan. 31.
The farm immediately notified local, state, and federal officials, including the Virginia Department of Health and Agriculture and the USDA. They are working with these agencies to contain the outbreak, which includes quarantining affected areas, disinfecting, and culling birds to prevent further spread.
On Saturday, owner Randi Vogul told News 3 they are devastated after they had to humanely euthanize close to 300 birds.
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"It's kind of your worst fear, right, for something to happen to all of your animals and to have something especially that can pose a public health threat. We feel we do a good job and pride ourselves on do a good job and it's hard. We really care about our animals," said Randi Vogel, co-owner of Hunt Club Farm. "There's a personal connection. There's certain chickens we name and everyone sees. They really are important to us. It's just been really hard."
A post on the Hunt Club Farm's Facebook page read, "The health and safety of our animals, employees, and community have always been, and remain, our top priority. While there is a very low risk of humans contracting the virus, we are closely monitoring the health of our staff."
Located near the intersection of General Booth Boulevard and London Bridge Road, Hunt Club Farm features a variety of animals in its attractions, including a petting farm and BirdWalk. The farm emphasized that bird flu does not pose a risk to farm mammals such as goats, sheep, and horses. However, due to the extremely low risk for parakeets, the BirdWalk aviary will be closed for 30 days for a quarantine.
