A mysterious illness has apparently led to an unusual surge of sick and dying Western gulls along the southern California coastline, including in Venice, Malibu, Redondo Beach and the South Bay.
International Bird Rescue in San Pedro is treating many of the gulls that have been brought in.
RELATED: Northern California’s newest invaders are beautiful swans. Should hunters kill them?
“This condition looks more like a toxicity than a contagious disease,” said veterinarian Rebecca Duerr, Bird Rescue’s director of research and veterinary science. “The sooner they get help, the better their chances of survival.”
The sick gulls are arriving with symptoms that include dehydration, difficulty standing, partial or complete paralysis, confusion, difficulty blinking, and, in the most severe cases, respiratory distress. Some birds have been found dead on beaches.
Since July 25, Bird Rescue has received about 20 gulls exhibiting symptoms. Initial tests for highly pathogenic avian influenza — or “bird flu” — were negative; results from more recent cases are pending.
“We don’t yet know what is causing this sickness,” said Bird Rescue CEO JD Bergeron, “but we are committed to giving these birds the care they need to survive.”
When asked if the illness could be linked to reports of sick and dying dogs near the Venice Canals, Bird Rescue officials said it could be possible that both species are being affected, according to the center’s news release. But until the cause or agents are identified, no connection can be confirmed.
Kylie Clatterbuck, Wildlife Center manager for Bird Rescue, said samples are still out for testing so there is no firm answer on what is causing the distress.
“The gulls being found are unable stand; they’re very lethargic and confused,” she said.
That usually indicates a toxic bloom source, she said, with exposure possible from water or food causing conditions similar to botulism.
“We’re still waiting on final test results but we have ruled out avian influenza,” Clatterbuck said in a Thursday, Aug. 14, telephone interview. “We ran tests on some of the original patients that did not make it and those came back negative for avian influenza, which is good news.”
Samples currently are being reviewed by health agencies, she said, adding that treatments are similar as those used for botulism — with lots of fluids.
“That will help flush it out of their system,” Clatterbuck said.
Several are now recovering well, she said, and are spending time in the center’s aviary.
Most likely, Clatterbuck said, the cause could be a type of a blue-green algae bloom.
“Gulls tend to travel to different bodies of water,” she said, including those offering a lagoon-type situation, before traveling back to the shoreline. “Sometimes that standing water is filled with different types of algae.”
Gulls are also scavengers, she said, so they could be ingesting something causing the issues.
“Most have been found along the shoreline area,” Clatterbuck said, “and a couple were found in Redondo Beach along a little lagoon. Others have been found in various spots.”
Treatments are going well, so long as the gulls are brought in early enough, she said. After recovering, they will be released back into the wild, since they can’t be in confinement for extended periods.
“They need time to rebuild their muscles and put some fat back on,” Clatterbuck said. “It takes a while for full function to be regained.
“We hope that whatever is going on environmentally has passed” once they are released, Clatterbuck said, adding that the number of gulls coming in this week are down from last week.
If someone sees a gull in distress, they should call the Bird Rescue Helpline at 310-402-0642.
The nonprofit center, located in Angel’s Gate Park in San Pedro, is also in need of donations to assist in the expenses involved in caring for and rehabilitating the birds. The Los Angeles facility is one of two full-time centers in California; the other is in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Area, though there is also an as-needed wildlife response center in Anchorage.
More information can be found at the International Bird Center website.