Dead cows on the side of the road show the consequences of the bird flu outbreak

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — As of Friday afternoon, there were 13 confirmed human cases of bird flu and hundreds of infected cows in the state.

In the South Valley, a disturbing site of infected and diseased roadside cows sparked biosecurity concerns among local activists.

The video, taken by Crystal Heath on Oct. 8 on the edge of Tulare County, shows the aftermath of an avian flu outbreak.

Several dead cows infected with bird flu were found lying on the side of the road for several days.

“I was pretty shocked to see these cows just laying out there in the open,” Crystal says.

She continues: “There were no signs warning anyone about the biosecurity risks or warning that there was even an outbreak of bird flu.”

Crystal, a veterinarian and executive director of Our Honor, a nonprofit advocacy group, said she is concerned about the spread.

“I was really worried about the flies. I don’t think there has been enough research into how flies can transmit the virus. Or whether wild animals can become infected with the virus by touching the mucous membranes of these dead animals,” says Crystal.

Western United Dairies represents the Tulare County farm where the cows were found.

“It is very unfortunate, in this case farmers have very few options. “You have to separate the sick cows from the healthy cows, and when they come by, a process called rendering is done,” says Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies.

She says her protocol is: “They need to be placed near a public road so the rendering truck doesn’t come onto the dairy and potentially infect the healthy calves.”

Anja also mentions: “It is known at this point that the virus is transmitted through a so-called fomite transmission, i.e. through boots, shoes, tires and foreign cars in or around there.”

Anja says the flu killed 10 to 15 percent of the state’s 1.7 million cows.

That’s up from the normal annual mortality rate of 1%, and recent heat has made matters worse.

Another additional concern is the protection of employees.

“We are currently in the process of training workers to recognize signs and symptoms,” says Anja.

These signs include mild flu-like symptoms and conjunctivitis.

Personal protective equipment is also available to employees.

But activists say more needs to be done.

“There are 17,500 dairy workers in California, and we really should be doing more to make sure they are protected and compensated if they have to take time off so they don’t have to be afraid to get tested for this virus,” says he crystal.

Additionally, “We advocate for a redirection of public resources away from animal proteins and toward supporting cruelty-free food production methods to improve our food security and public health,” explains Crystal. Our reliance and dependence on animal proteins puts us at real risk for pandemic viruses like bird flu.”

Dairy and milk are a multi-billion dollar industry in California.

You can find more information about the bird flu virus here.

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