The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is monitoring an outbreak of avian influenza affecting birds statewide, including two species in Summit County.

The agency reported 49 positive cases since October, which is when birds typically migrate for the winter season. In Summit County specifically, three great horned owls and one Canada goose tested positive for the disease, according to state wildlife veterinarian Virginia Stout.

“The flu has been coming and going in waves over the past several years, so our first cases of this new strand started in 2022 and has waxed and waned since then,” Stout said. “It’s been killing these wild birds, so that’s our concern, but there are a lot of other concerns as well for agriculture because it can spread to poultry facilities.”

The avian flu often appears first in waterbirds, which can then transfer the illness to other species. Stout said there have been instances of the flu jumping to cows and interfering in dairy production in addition to affecting poultry farms.

It also occasionally infects humans, but Stout said cases are rare in the United States.

“So far, the human cases have only been found in poultry workers or workers who are in close contact with infected birds,” she said. “We haven’t really seen it spreading from a wild bird to a human. … It acts like any other flu, so the symptoms are similar to other influenza viruses.”

Stout said the Division of Wildlife Resources is mostly concerned with how the avian flu will impact the local ecosystem, especially if cases continue to rise as they have in the past few months.

“(The cases) seem to be a little bit higher than in previous years, but the spring and the fall is when we typically see an uptick,” Stout said. “If they’re moving through the area, they mingle with native birds, and the virus can change and mutate at that point, and other birds become infected. It’s not unusual, but we have seen just a little bit more mortality than normal.”

Previous strains of the avian flu were less fatal for bird species than this year’s version, Stout said.

“In 2014 and 2015, I think we only had a couple of cases from that particular outbreak, but this strain that started in 2022 seems to be a lot more pathogenic,” she said. “It causes a lot more death than in the past, and it’s something that I think we’re going to have to get used to and try to mitigate as much as we can.”

Stout said mitigation is difficult because they can’t contain the disease in the wild. Instead, the Division of Wildlife Resources monitors outbreaks as they happen to keep the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food apprised of the situation in case the illness spreads to a poultry farm.

“The main thing is our surveillance system because as we find new cases, we can let the Department of Agriculture know where it’s popping up so they can ramp up their biosecurity,” Stout said. “Sometimes, it means that we’re picking up birds from an area to reduce the contact between birds and infected or dead birds. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of things we can do to mitigate it, but we need to be aware and remove those carcasses.”

There’s not much for an average Summit County resident to do to help curb the spread of the avian flu either, but Stout said it’s important to know it’s in the area and to make sure people are not touching or interacting with any deceased birds.

“If people encounter them, we ask that you call the division so we can go investigate and pick them up if we need to,” Stout said. “Stay away, don’t pick them up and keep your pets away as well.”

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The Park City Police Department on Sunday, Jan. 21, received a report of a sighting of three mountain lions in Solamere, a little more than a week after a previous call involving three of the animals.

The Jan. 21 case was reported at 7:32 a.m. on Sun Ridge Drive. The street, lined with residences, is off Solamere Drive and close to significant tracts of undeveloped land. The police were told a “mother and two cubs just walked” by a residence. The animals were seen approximately 10 minutes before the report to the police. The person took photographs, the police were told.

The Police Department said officers verified the sighting, indicating the mountain lions were in a backyard. The police said state wildlife officials were notified.

The report on Jan. 21 followed nine days after a similar case, but it was not clear whether the same mountain lions were involved in both instances. The Police Department on Jan. 12 logged a report involving a “mama mountain lion” and two cubs that were beneath a patio.

The Jan. 12 report originated from Sunnyside Drive, which is close to the Gambel Oak open space as well as in the area of numerous residences.

Sunnyside Drive and Sun Ridge Drive are separated by approximately 1.5 miles via road, but there is also a significant tract of open space between the two.

The Police Department regularly receives reports of wildlife sightings, including moose, deer and elk. Mountain lion reports are rare, but they are notable since the animals can pose a danger to people and pets.

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The Park City Police Department received a recent report of a mountain lion sighting in a neighborhood, among other wildlife-related calls.

The agency on Jan. 12 at 7:25 a.m. was told of the mountain lion. The person who contacted the Police Department indicated there was a “mama mountain lion” and two cubs. They were “under” a patio, the police were told. The person said they were not threatened “at the moment,” but they were “worried about neighborhood dogs in the area,” according to public police logs.

The report was logged on Sunnyside Drive, which connects Deer Valley Drive and Mellow Mountain Road. The location is close to the Gambel Oak open space, but it is also in the vicinity of numerous residences.

Mountain lion sightings are rare in Park City, but they stand out since the animals can pose a threat to people and pets.

The police received several other wildlife reports recently. They include:

• On Sunday, Jan. 14, at 12:48 a.m., elk were seen crossing S.R. 248 along the entryway. The police were told the animals were crossing toward Richardson Flat. The police said the elk created a traffic hazard.
• On Friday, Jan. 12, at 7:32 a.m., an unspecified animal or animals were reported along S.R. 248 close to the Park City School District campus.
• On Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 9:43 p.m., an elk herd was seen attempting to cross Kearns Boulevard in the area of Buffalo Bill Drive. The animals were headed toward Prospector. The police said the elk created a traffic hazard.
• On Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 12:10 p.m., a deer carcass was found “in the middle of the soccer field” in the area of Treasure Mountain Junior High School off Kearns Boulevard. Public police logs did not provide details about the cause of death.

There is the possibility of an increase in wildlife sightings with the recent heavy snow. Animals tend to move to lower elevations in search of food when snow accumulates higher.

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The Park City Police Department responded to a series of recent wildlife-related cases, including at least two collisions between drivers and animals.

The police regularly receive reports of wildlife in a variety of areas. Collisions are also reported at a regular clip.

The agency on Sunday at 3:01 p.m. received a report of a collision between a vehicle and what was initially described to be a moose close to the intersection of S.R. 224 and Meadows Drive. The person who reported the case to the police indicated it appeared the animal survived the collision, according to police logs.

The police later indicated an officer who investigated the report found two deer carcasses but not a moose. The carcasses of the deer had been present for an extended period, the police said.

The case was reported north of the S.R. 224-Meadows Drive intersection, along a section of the state highway located outside the Park City limits.

Other wildlife-related cases reported to the Police Department recently included:

• On Sunday, Nov. 12, at 5:58 p.m., the police reported a wildlife issue involving an unspecified species in the area of Kearns Boulevard and Homestake Road. Public police logs did not provide details about the animal or how the case was resolved.
• On Saturday, Nov. 11, at 6:04 p.m., a driver struck a deer on Deer Valley Drive. Public police logs did not provide details about the condition of the deer and it was not known at the time of the report to the police whether the animal was still in a travel lane. Public police logs indicated the collision resulted in unspecified damage to the vehicle.
• On Friday, Nov. 10, at 6:24 p.m., the police received a report of elk and deer that were close to the road in the area of the intersection of S.R. 224 and Meadows Drive. The animals were “looking to cross,” the police were told.

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A driver on Sunday hit a deer on a busy stretch of Park Avenue, resulting in injuries to the animal that led to it needing to be destroyed, the Park City Police Department said.

The case was reported at 5:50 p.m. on a stretch of the street close to the police station and a gas station. Public police logs indicated the animal was on one of the shoulders of the road at the time of the report. The driver whose vehicle struck the deer was parked at the nearby gas station, the police said.

The logs indicated the vehicle suffered unspecified damage, but there were no reports in the logs of injuries to people.

A deer, apparently deceased, was reported in the same area of Park Avenue earlier on Sunday. The report was logged at 6:47 a.m. and involved a deer in the road that was described as a traffic hazard. Someone “pushed them off,” but it was not clear from the police logs whether an officer or someone else moved the animal.

The Police Department commonly receives reports of animal sightings, and collisions between drivers and wildlife occur regularly.

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The post PHOTOS: Moose Sighting on Main appeared first on Park Record.

The heavy snows this winter have drawn skiers and snowboarders up the mountains.

But the weather has also drawn animals down the mountains.

There has been a series of wildlife sightings in Park City recently, as the snow piled up at the higher elevations during a relentless series of storms that stretched for several weeks starting late in 2016. The animals must descend to lower elevations during heavy snows in search for food since sources at the higher elevations become covered.

Moose, deer and elk are plentiful in the Park City area, and the Park City Police Department has fielded reports in recent weeks about animal sightings in or close to neighborhoods. There have also been at least two bad traffic accidents involving animals since early in January.

“When you get the deep snow like this . . . It can impact on big game animals,” said Scott Root, the state Division of Wildlife Resources conservation outreach manager in the region that includes the Park City area.

He noted there has been a stretch of relatively mild winters in the area followed by this year’s snow. Root said the Division of Wildlife Resources observed animals moving to the lower elevations after the first significant snowfall. The migration down from the mountains became evident around New Year’s, he said. The animals forage for food once they reach the lower elevations.

“If things get too deep, they may come down looking for vegetation,” Root said.

The Police Department has logged several human-animal encounters recently. In at least two cases, the animal was either killed or needed to be put down afterward.

Two drivers hit a moose at almost the same time on S.R. 224 in January, killing the animal. The moose was attempting to cross the state highway close to the intersections with Meadows Drive and Holiday Ranch Loop Road when it was hit by the two vehicles. The Police Department said at the time each of the vehicles suffered damage estimated at several thousand dollars. The people in the vehicles were not injured. Later in January, a bus hit a moose on S.R. 224, leaving the animal with injuries that required it be put down.

In late January, meanwhile, a cow moose and a calf were seen bedded down close to a pool on Park Avenue. Police Department logs said people visiting Park City for the Sundance Film Festival were approaching the animals. There were at least two moose sightings in Park City two days earlier, including a cow moose and a calf in the road near the intersection of Marsac Avenue and Hillside Avenue. In the other case that day, two moose were seen close to the road along S.R. 224.

Police officers who respond to wildlife sightings typically ensure an animal does not become a hazard for drivers as well as stop people from approaching the animal.

Root said wildlife officials hope for warmer temperatures and an early spring that would allow the moose to move to higher elevations.

Wild Aware Utah has published tips for living in a place inhabited by moose. The tips are available at: http://www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/moose. The tips, as published on the website, include:

Preventing conflicts:

• Moose cows with calves can be aggressive in the spring.
• Bull moose may be especially aggressive during the fall breeding season.
• Do not approach or feed a moose.
• Keep dogs leashed and under control at all times. Moose can be very aggressive around them. It is against Utah law to allow dogs to chase or harass wildlife.If you encounter a moose:
• On a trail, give the moose a lot of space and watch it’s behavior.
• Back off if a moose exhibits any signs of aggression, such as the hair standing up on their neck, snout licking, or ears back.
• Stay calm. Do not run away. Talk, make your presence known and slowly back off in the direction you came.
• If a moose charges you or chases you hide behind something solid such as a tree.
• If a moose knocks you down, curl into a ball, protect your head and lie still until the moose retreats.

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