INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is suggesting that people all over the state remove bird feeders while a mysterious illness is investigated that has spread to the Illinois border.
The DNR said dead and dying song birds have been found in 50 counties over the past few weeks, including Lake, Porter and LaPorte, those nearest to Chicago.
Allisyn Gillet, an ornithologist with the DNR, told WSBT it’s not clear what they’re dealing with, but they are running tests.
"It's going to be very tough, mainly because it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack without really knowing what the needle looks like," she said.
Gillet told WSBT that while there's no evidence that the disease affects humans, birds are important indicators of overall environmental health.
"They are the canary in the coal mine, and if there’s something going on with them then we need to be concerned about it, because it could also inform us about something that’s going on in our environment that could affect us," said Gillet.
The Department of Natural Resources wants people to remove bird feeders, bird baths, and even hummingbird solutions, as a precaution.
"Because it provides congregations of birds and that’s what we are trying to prevent, prevent the transmission," Gillet said.
Considering that affected birds have been found in Lake County, it stands to reason the illness is in Chicago, as well.
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