Maine testing birds across the state
Friday, July 21st, 2006
The program is set to last to the end of the year and thousands of birds are expected to be tested in that period. A pond near Rockport which hosts almost 100 Canada geese was visited by experts in a time when the birds are molting, making it more easy to capture them. Fecal samples are required for the testing of the birds, with the samples then being sent to a laboratory in Connecticut, and the results eventually reaching the United States Agriculture Department. Canada geese are most likely to mingle with other species of migrating birds, so they are the highlight of these tests. Besides that, there is a fair number of them and they are quite easy to catch. So far no birds in Maine or any other state have tested positive for the H5N1 strain, the virus which has devastated poultry flocks in other parts of the world.