Madison’s Henry Vilas Zoo is taking urgent measures to keep their birds safe after a bird flu was found in the state.

The zoo’s aviary, which contains penguins, flamingos, chickens and a sandhill crane, will be closed for the month of April. The birds will be transferred to the zoo’s Animal Health Center, according to a press release.

This flu, which is a highly pathogenic avian influenza, called HPAI, has been spreading throughout the country over the past two months, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

According to UW Microbiology professor Adel Talaat, this is a good precaution to take.

“Birds of all kinds can be sensitive to the virus, so [the zoo’s birds] could be in danger,” Talaat said.

This is the first time bird flu has been detected in Wisconsin since 2015, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The H5 strain currently in Wisconsin, however, is different but appears to be “similarly virulent” to the one found in the state in 2015, according to WPR.

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Director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Keith Poulsen said birds that pass through the area pose the biggest risk for the birds at the zoo.

“What they’re trying to protect them from is virus (from migratory birds) that will be inevitably flying through,” Poulsen said.

Talaat said that a bird’s death is usually the first symptom of the virus, but there may be some respiratory signs. He said the flu is spread through air or sometimes contaminated farm equipment.

It’s unclear whether or not pets are at risk of contracting the virus, Talaat said.

“[Transmission] to dogs and cats may be possible, but we don’t have any documented cases,” Talaat said. “We don’t have any clear indication that they can be infected.”

According to the press release, an HPAI outbreak on a farm has already resulted in the execution of a commercial flock of almost 3 million chickens. Nationally, more than 7 million commercial birds have had to be put down since February.

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For now, Poulsen said the virus does not pose any known threat to humans.

“But flu, just like coronavirus, can change,” Poulsen said. “And we want to know if [these viruses] are changing. We’ve seen that in the past, where they can jump from species to species. And we want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”