Bird flu: Florida sanctuary seeing increase in birds with Avian flu

PALM SHORES, FL - On her early morning bike ride, Josie Quiroz noticed something wasn’t right.

 "I saw this little bird in the water going around in circles and at first I thought it was just caught in the water, but then I noticed it seemed strange and very sad," she said.

 She recorded some video and sent it to the Florida Wildlife Hospital in Palm Shores, which is southeast of Orlando and along the coast.

 "He was swimming in circles. It was the saddest thing, I just couldn’t video anymore," Quiroz said.

The diagnosis: Avian flu.

It's one of hundreds of calls that the hospital has received over the last couple of months, according to Tracy Frampton, executive director of Florida Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary.

For those unfamiliar, Avian flu is a viral, deadly infection that spreads among birds. And in rare cases, humans can also become infected, according to the CDC.

Florida is one of the hardest-hit states. In Central Florida, Brevard and Volusia counties both seeing increases in cases.

Frampton said she's overwhelmed by the number of reported cases. In the last year, they've treated over 6,000 animals, most of them birds.

They're so overwhelmed that they had to stop accepting new birds in February in order to protect the birds they're treating currently. 

Their team closed their doors to these sick winged creatures in February, hoping to protect the ones they do have.

 "It is definitely alarming. Anytime we have to say we can’t accept patients, it breaks our heart. Because that is what we do. We want to help wildlife," she said.

Read more about Avian flu on CDC's website.