BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Wide-eyed piglets rushing to check out the visitors to their unusual barn just might represent the
following the bird flu outbreak boosted Brazilian egg exports to the U.S., rising by more than 1,000% between January and April 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, according to trade data from the Brazilian government.Brazil’s agriculture ministry also said Friday the disease is not transmitted through the consumption of poultry meat or eggs.
“The risk of human infection by the avian flu virus is low and occurs mostly among handlers or professionals who have close contact with infected birds (alive or dead),” the ministry said.Brazilian chicken exports have previously faced resistance over sanitary concerns. In 2018, the European Union temporarilyBrazil brought the case to the World Trade Organization.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean atMelissa Rivers recalled how swiftly the
spread, forcing the county’s Ready, Set, Go evacuation plan to essentially skip straight to “Set.” That left her with little time to gather her most valued possessions before fleeing her home.
When the final warning arrived, Rivers said Tuesday, “The fire was still a canyon away, but you could clearly see the flames.”By the time she returned to the Topanga ranch Wednesday morning, it had burned. The cement building that withstood two or three other fires since the 1950’s was covered in soot, its roof gone and windows blown out. Her ponies disappeared, along with two semi-feral dogs she fed. She’s hoping to raise money to support Philozoia, her non-profit organization that rescues animals from high-kill shelters.
“I don’t know where we’re going to go from here,” she said.Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An iconic pet reindeer beloved by many in Alaska’s largest city has been euthanized, just weeks afterhis caretaker said Wednesday.