Wildlife

Paralyzed Ravens and Crows in Canada

Ravens and crows in eastern British Columbia are being afflicted by a mysterious paralysis that has left at least dozens dead.

Wildlife rehabilitation expert Leona Green said the first reports of the mysterious avian ailment started coming in from around the Peace Region from Fort St. John to Tumbler Ridge in late May.

“They are all feathered out, there’s no wing damage and they seem quite bright, and if you feed them by hand they will eat,” Green told the Vancouver Sun. “But their legs are completely paralyzed and their claws are clubbed with no feeling from their spines to their legs.”

She added that without the use of their legs, they can’t launch themselves into flight.

It’s feared the birds are suffering from the effects of West Nile virus, of which they are especially susceptible.

University of B.C. professor Patrick Mooney, who specializes in biodiversity and urban birds, said the deaths of such birds can act as an early warning system that the virus — which also affects humans — has arrived.