On March 20, the DEC began investigating suspicious deaths at the Game Farm, and preliminary test results indicate a possible outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. DEC is collaborating with animal health experts from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory to determine the next steps at the farm.
Since early 2022, HPAI has been circulating in wild birds in North America, and it has previously been confirmed in wild birds in Tompkins County, where Reynolds Game Farm is located.
The Game Farm uses strict biosecurity protocols, such as fencing and overhead netting, to keep large birds out of the pens, such as hawks, owls, ducks, geese, and gulls. Staff also conducts disease surveillance on a regular basis. Reynolds’ pheasant flock is a USDA National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) certified flock. The National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP) is a joint state-federal testing and certification programme for poultry breeding flocks that includes surveillance for AI, pullorum disease, fowl typhoid, and other infectious diseases.