VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Some of the birds at the Hunt Club Farm in Virginia Beach tested positive for avian influenza, the farm shared in a post on Facebook.
The post says they believe the bird flu was brought to the farm by migratory waterfowl.
Due to the situation, the farm will not be open the weekend of Friday, Jan. 31.
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The farm immediately notified local, state and federal, human and animal health officials, including the Virginia Department of Health & Agriculture and the USDA. Additionally, the farm is working with agencies to contain the situation. This includes quarantining, disinfecting impacted areas and depopulation to prevent it from spreading.
"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," the post says, in part.
The Hunt Club Farm, located near the intersection of General Booth Boulevard and London Bridge Road, has a variety of animals at its on site attractions, including its petting farm and "BirdWalk." The farm stressed that bird blue does not pose a risk to farm mammals like goats, sheep and horses. Although the risk is extremely low to parakeets, the farm says its BirdWalk aviary will be closed for 30 days as a precaution.
