Police Beat: Avian Flu found in Manhattan Beach seagulls

by Liz Mullin

Two Western Gulls infected with Avian Influenza (H5N1) were found on the shore in Manhattan Beach. The Manhattan Beach Police Department reported the cases in its most recent weekly crime report.

In the last four weeks, there have been about 30 confirmed or suspected cases of wild bird flu in birds found on west-facing beaches from San Diego to Morro Bay, according to Dr. Rebecca Duerr, a veterinarian and research director at International Bird Rescue’s two wildlife clinics in California.

“During the past two winters we have had very sparse intake of birds with Avian influenza,” Duerr said in a phone interview with Easy Reader. “They have mostly been gulls…. It stopped in March two years ago, and in 2023 the last case we had in Los Angeles County was January 30. I think one was from Manhattan Beach.”

“Then we had a long lag, and they just started coming in recently — in the last four weeks or so,” Duerr said.

There is no cure for Avian influenza and it is fatal. Birds that test positive for the disease are euthanized. The wild bird strain of the flu is different from the one infecting domestic chickens and cows, Duerr said.

“In domestic poultry, it’s largely a respiratory disease and it kills chickens really quick,” Duerr said. “The flu in wild birds is largely a neurologic disease.”

Although a few pelicans in California have tested positive for the bird flu the vast majority of birds with the disease have been seagulls — Western Gulls and California Gulls — she said.

Symptoms in a H5N1-infected wild bird include twitching, seizures and acting unfocused. Infected birds will allow humans to approach them instead of flying away, Duerr said.

She said it is extremely unlikely that a wild bird would infect a human, but the chance is “probably not zero.” Anyone approaching a bird exhibiting neurological symptoms should wear protective gloves and a mask, she said.

The MBPD, in its crime report about the infected birds, said it is strictly enforcing the law prohibiting dogs on the beach. 

Duerr noted, “The concern is that the flu strain, once it’s in mammals, is more likely to affect humans.” It is not generally fatal in humans, she said.

There have been 61 human H5N1 cases nationwide  since April, according to CDC data. Thirty-four cases are in California, mostly among agriculture workers exposed to infected cattle. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to the rising number of cases of bird flu.

PCH pedestrian 

death ruled accident

The pedestrian who died in a traffic collision in Manhattan Beach early Monday morning has been identified as 72-year-old Michael Kawasaki by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The ME has ruled that his death was an accident.

The MBPD arrived on the scene of the crash involving Kawasaki and a vehicle  on the 900 block of Sepulveda Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m. 

A witness to the accident was performing life-saving measures on Kawasaki when police arrived.  Kawasaki died from blunt force injuries, according to the coroner.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident remained on scene and gave a statement to MBPD officers. Neither alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision.

HBPD plans DUI crackdown

The HBPD announced last month that it was awarded an $80,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to support its efforts to make Hermosa a safe place to drive.

The HBPD plans on conducting patrols targeted at finding people driving under the influence, as well as setting up DUI checkpoints, Officer Keaton Dadigan told Easy Reader.

“We are going to be doing random DUI enforcement as well as DUI checkpoints,” Dadigan said.

The times of the checkpoints will be announced by HBPD on its social media channels about 72 hours prior to the enforcement, he said.

“There is no particular day or time. However we usually do more enforcement around weekends, around football games, and around times when people consume more alcohol,” he said.