Three Montana Grizzly Bears Euthanized Last Fall Tested Positive for Avian Flu

(NYT) The bears are believed to have contracted the virus from diseased birds, amid what a U.S.D.A. spokesman called the “largest foreign animal disease outbreak in U.S. history.” Three young grizzly bears in Montana that were euthanized last fall later tested positive for the highly contagious avian influenza, the state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks service announced this week, fueling fears that the virus that has killed millions of poultry in the last year is rapidly spreading to other animal groups. The bears were disoriented, had begun to go blind and were euthanized as a result of their poor condition, the parks service said in a news release on Tuesday. They tested positive for the virus in January, said Dr. Jennifer Ramsey, the veterinarian for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She said the bears had most likely contracted the virus from consuming diseased birds with high levels of the virus.