The owner of an animal sanctuary described her heartbreak as more than 60 birds had to be culled this morning.
Amey James, who runs the Happy Pants Ranch, was teary-eyed when she spoke with KentOnline.
Amey James runs the Happy Pants Ranch, a sanctuary for more than 400 animals in Sittingbourne
The site in Newington, near Sittingbourne, has tested positive for bird flu, also known as avian influenza.
Some strains of the disease can spread to humans through close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.
At 8am today (Wednesday), the 61 remaining birds on the ranch were culled.
This included ducks, geese, hens, cockerels, seagulls, rhea, pigeons and pheasants and a well-known emu called BB.
Amey said: “When I got the text from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), straight away I knew what that meant.
BB the emu, who was popular with visitors, has had to be culled. Picture: Happy Pants
“I was devastated and felt sick. I didn’t know how to tell our volunteers – I just felt lost.
“Kent wasn’t even in a lockdown, so we weren’t a high-risk area.
“It just goes to show it can happen randomly to anyone.”
Last Wednesday, the owner found a duck that appeared to be lethargic and brought it inside for a shower and feed.
Within 24 hours, it had died, which Amey thought was strange, but that down to genetics or an underlying illness.
Amey had first noticed one of her ducks was strangely lethargic last week. Picture: Happy Pants
Over the next few days, all her ducks appeared to look unwell and would suddenly pass away.
She added: “It was so quick. I knew something was happening. My first thought was it could be poisoning.”
After contacting her local vets, the matter was passed on to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and APHA.
By this time, the disease had spread to the turkeys and cockerels, which were displaying no symptoms but would then be found “dead on the floor”.
It was then confirmed to be deadly bird flu.
A 3km zone has been set up after the bird flu was confirmed near Newington
The most recent case was found at a commercial poultry farm in West Suffolk on Sunday (October 26).
Amey added: “Please look after your birds because it literally could happen to anyone.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a low-risk zone, high-risk zone or whatever; any single bird could land on your property and that’s it. It’s so random.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody who has been offering their words of support and kindness.
“It really does help because I have felt quite alone in this process.
Inspectors from APHA visited the ranch. Picture: Happy Pants
“I think in the history of the sanctuary, there’s never been a day when there’s only been me on site.
“So it has been very strange and difficult to deal with.”
A 3km controlled zone was implemented on Monday (October 27) evening, and requires all those who own birds in this vicinity to monitor and safely house them.
The animals cannot be moved elsewhere during this time.
It means Amey can only have herself and three other people on site. All comings and goings are required to be logged.
It’s going to take me a long time to get over this.
Extra cleaning measures have also been implemented.
The lockdown is understood to last seven days; however, this can be extended.
When asked about rescuing animals in the future, Amey said: “There are always birds that need our help.
“We get asked to take them in all the time. We still need to clean and disinfect everything.
“It’s going to take me a long time to get over this.”