Fight for Wildlife and Human Safety — Take Action Against Bird Flu Negligence
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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Abandoned bird flu-infected carcasses are fueling a dangerous outbreak, putting wildlife, livestock, and human lives at risk. Stop reckless practices that threaten our health and environment!
Bird flu is tearing through California, and the stakes are too high to ignore. What started as a virus impacting birds has now spread to dairy cows and even humans. Livestock are dying at alarming rates, and infected cow carcasses are being left to rot in the open, risking the further spread of this dangerous virus to wildlife and beyond. We need immediate action to stop this crisis before it escalates any further.
A Devastating Impact on Livestock and Wildlife
In California alone, bird flu has infected over 120 dairy herds since August 20241. The mortality rate for cows on infected farms is as high as 20%, far above the 2% seen in other states. These farms are overwhelmed, struggling to dispose of the deceased animals in a timely manner. Rendering plants tasked with processing dead cows are backed up, leaving carcasses in the sun for days2. This poses a grave threat, not only to the livestock but also to wildlife, which can contract the virus by scavenging on these remains.
The Human Cost of Bird Flu
It’s not just the cows and wildlife at risk—humans are being infected too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already confirmed six human cases of bird flu in California3. While the symptoms have been mild so far, experts warn that the virus could mutate, making it easier to transmit between humans. This is a critical moment for prevention, and action must be taken now to prevent this from spiraling into a larger public health crisis.
The Threat of Abandoned Carcasses
Abandoned infected carcasses have been found by the roadside without any biosecurity measures in place4. This reckless handling of the dead animals is endangering local ecosystems and increasing the risk of further outbreaks. When scavenging animals, such as wild birds and mammals, come into contact with these remains, the virus spreads further into the wild, threatening biodiversity and expanding the geographic reach of the disease.
An Urgent Call for Action
Public health officials are calling for more resources and stricter biosecurity measures, but action has been slow. Dairy workers are being vaccinated against the seasonal flu to prevent the possibility of coinfection, but there is still much more that needs to be done. Without immediate oversight and enforcement, the bird flu will continue to spread—putting humans, livestock, and wildlife at greater risk.
Sign the Petition Today
We are calling on the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the CDC, and the California Secretary of Agriculture to step up and address this crisis. We need increased oversight of farms to ensure that infected animals are properly contained and disposed of, stricter penalties for reckless practices that endanger others, and more resources to help overwhelmed farms and public health officials.
This is about more than just preventing the next outbreak. It’s about protecting our communities, our food supply, and our environment from a growing and deadly threat. The time to act is now.
Sign the petition today and demand that our leaders take the necessary steps to stop the spread of bird flu and protect the future of our health, wildlife, and agriculture.
- Leah Douglas, Reuters (17 October 2024), "Cows dead from bird flu rot in California as heat bakes dairy farms."
- Tom Howarth, Newsweek (11 October 2024), "'Shocking': Bird-flu infected cattle dumped at California roadside."
- Lisa Schnirring, CIDRAP (11 October 2024), "Avian flu confirmations in California dairy workers reach 6."
- Rachel Bluth, David Lim and Marcia Brown, Politico (17 October 2024), "Avian flu spreading in California raises pandemic threat for humans."
The Petition:
To the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and California Secretary of Agriculture,
We, the undersigned, call upon your leadership to address the urgent and growing threat posed by the bird flu (avian influenza) outbreaks currently ravaging California’s dairy industry and wildlife. The recent reports of infected livestock, particularly the abandonment of bird-flu-infected cow carcasses in public spaces, underscore the need for stronger oversight, biosecurity measures, and penalties for reckless practices that endanger both animal and human health.
As the bird flu spreads to livestock, wildlife, and now humans, the consequences of inaction are dire. California’s dairy farmers are already overwhelmed, and public health workers face an uphill battle in containing this deadly virus. However, when farms fail to properly isolate or dispose of infected animals, the danger intensifies. Infected carcasses left in the open allow the virus to spread uncontrollably to scavenging animals, further increasing the risk of zoonotic transmission to humans. This reckless endangerment, fueled by inadequate oversight and overwhelmed rendering services, is preventable—but only if decisive action is taken.
We urge you to implement and enforce the following actions:
- Increase oversight of farms dealing with infected livestock to ensure they comply with strict biosecurity protocols, including the proper disposal of infected animals.
- Impose strict penalties on any entity that engages in practices that recklessly endanger other animals, wildlife, or human populations by abandoning or improperly isolating bird-flu-infected animals.
- Provide additional resources to state and local governments, farms, and rendering services to effectively manage the safe containment, removal, and processing of infected animals.
- Expand surveillance efforts for early detection and containment of outbreaks in both livestock and wildlife populations.
It is critical that we approach this situation with humanity. Farmworkers, farmers, and their families are directly affected by this crisis, and wildlife is increasingly vulnerable to the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Public health depends on responsible action. While our economy and food systems are crucial, protecting lives—human, animal, and environmental—must come first.
By taking these steps, we will not only protect public health and animal welfare but also create a safer and more secure future for generations to come. The health of our environment, our food supply, and our communities depend on our ability to swiftly respond to this crisis with compassion, responsibility, and foresight.
Thank you for your leadership and consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
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