Well, after only four visibly flu-ridden geese waddled into town earlier this week like extras from Contagion, the Lubbock Health Department has finally taken decisive action: issuing a sternly worded press release telling people not to touch the dying birds. Groundbreaking stuff.
Apparently, a nationwide outbreak of H5N1 is working its way through wild birds, and Lubbock is right in the flight path. Health officials warn that migratory birds may be spreading the virus and that close contact could transmit it to humans. So, naturally, their advice boils down to “don’t walk up and pet the goose that’s foaming at the beak.” Science!
The city assures us the risk is “considered low,” which is exactly the kind of phrasing we all learned to love in 2020. But if you do insist on your God-given Texas right to handle diseased wildlife, they recommend gloves, a mask, washing your hands, and probably not licking anything that fell out of the sky. Also, if you happen to stumble on a dead bird, you’re encouraged to call Animal Services at 806-775-2057. Because nothing says Friday like reporting wildlife casualties to City Hall.
What the press release didn’t mention is the underlying concern: H5N1 doesn’t need a dramatic Hollywood plot to become a problem. If people, pets, or livestock come into contact with infected bird droppings, this strain has already shown it can jump to mammals—including, yes, us. And if someone happens to catch a regular human flu at the same time, the viruses can exchange genetic material and create a whole new strain that spreads human-to-human. That’s how pandemics start—not with geese falling from the sky, but with everyday exposure and a little viral remixing.
Meanwhile Lubbock continues to sit among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in Texas, and the most recent measles outbreak wasn’t exactly on another continent—it was just over in Gaines County. Combine that with the region’s proud anti-vaccine tendencies, and maybe, just maybe, we should take potential new outbreaks a tad more seriously than “don’t poke sick birds with a stick.”
At this rate, will the city warn us about obviously sick animals before day three next time, or nah?
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/avoid-sick-dead-birds/
https://www.kcbd.com/2025/12/06/city-reminds-citizens-not-handle-sick-or-dead-birds/