Botulism Outbreak Kills Tens Of Thousands Of Birds In Klamath Basin

TULELAKE, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 03: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service contract worker Dom Sterling holds a sick duck that he captured at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge on October 03, 2024 in Tulelake, California. An avian botulism outbreak at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge has killed over 90,000 ducks and waterfowl since late August, the most severe outbreak in the refuge's recorded history. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ended the collection of sick and dead birds today and estimates that tens of thousands more birds could still be sickened or die in the coming weeks. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)