Avian Cholera Outbreak Appears to Have Ended

A cholera outbreak that has killed thousands of birds at Clear Lake since mid-January appears to be over, the Department of Fish and Game said.

More than 7,400 birds have been collected and disposed of since the die-off began. More than 99% of the dead waterfowl were ruddy ducks.

While avian cholera is lethal to birds, it does not affect humans. The disease did not spread to other species of ducks or the Western grebe populations, which number in the tens of thousands at Clear Lake. This was the first recorded avian cholera outbreak at the lake.