Since early 2022, over 130 million farmed birds have died or been culled in the U.S. due to bird flu on poultry farms, and the devastating effects of this pathogen have not stopped there. Sadly, a person in Louisiana has now died of bird flu, too—after the virus most likely mutated post-infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), possibly leading to more severe illness.

The CDC confirmed 66 human cases in the U.S. in 2024. On January 10 of this year, the agency confirmed the second case of an infected U.S. child with unknown exposure to the virus. Now the CDC has just urged the testing of everyone hospitalized with influenza to determine whether patients have bird flu or a seasonal flu.

When bird flu was first found in cattle, scientists raised concerns that it could be mutating, warning that an evolving virus can become more infectious to humans. Nearly all documented human cases have resulted from direct contact with farmed animals rather than transmission from person to person—but that doesn’t mean that we should continue downplaying the risk to public health as a crisis unfolds before our eyes.

Around the world, 20 million animals are farmed for their fur and skin each year, and like other farmed animals, they suffer horribly to benefit a multi-billion dollar industry. Most are confined to tiny, metal cages where they endure stress and crowding, and are at risk for injury. At ages as young as seven months old, these sentient animals, including foxes, mink, raccoon dogs, and other species, are killed in agonizing ways, including electrocution and gassing.

Fur production also poses a threat to public health, as the world saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like factory farms, fur farms are breeding grounds for zoonotic pathogens—illnesses that can be transmitted between humans and other animals. 

While there are currently no fur farms in Hawaii, the state imports fur products, and a ban would mark another important step toward ending the needless farming of animals for fur. 

In 2019, California became the first U.S. state to ban the sale of new fur products, dealing a pivotal blow to the fur industry. This single state once accounted for almost one-quarter of the nation’s fur sales.

A new report from the Fur Free Alliance reveals that global fur production dropped by nearly 40 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year—and 85 percent in just a decade. Yet, with millions of animals still farmed for fur and others trapped and taken from their habitats, it remains crucial that more states and countries take action to restrict brutal industry.

Our work extends beyond our sanctuaries to fighting the harms of animal agriculture and advocating for farmed animals everywhere—including those exploited and killed for their fur. Please consider supporting Farm Sanctuary and becoming part of our vital mission today.