A case of over 100 dead geese just north of Kyle may be raising the concerns of some residents in the southwest, but one expert says that the event is not as dire as it may sound.

The collection of dead birds near the community of Elrose garnered much speculation as to what was behind the mass-death event.

Upon professional inspection, the cause was determined to be avian cholera.

Trent Bollinger, a veterinary pathologist and director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, was the inspector of the geese.

He helped to determine that the collection of Snow and Ross Geese possessed the deadly disease.

He said that while spreading further southwest is a possibility, the risk to both humans and animals other than geese is small.

The disease is extremely difficult to transfer to people, unless they have a severe immune suppression, in which case, more common bacteria would be just as worrying.

Bollinger said that animals eating birds with the disease and contracting the sickness is also rare.

"As far as disease in domestic animals, this again is something that is very rare, the serotype (or the strain) that we see in wild waterfowl tends to be restricted to wild waterfowl, and rarely spreads to wild animals."

In one similar case, a die-off just north of Cabri spread avian cholera from geese to hawks in the area.

A separate gathering of geese had experienced a similar die-off around three or four years ago in the same location near Elrose, and is expected to occur periodically.

Overall, the disease affects a small number of migratory birds each year.

He said southwest Saskatchewan residents should keep an eye out for other dead birds.

"Avian cholera is something that we see in migratory waterfowl right across North America, and elsewhere globally, so anywhere there are congregations of migratory waterfowl, there's the potential for avian cholera to develop."

He said that in some cases, thousands of waterfowl die-off from diseases such as avian cholera.

If you are hunting geese, Bollinger said that you could be assured, the risk of spreading the disease is minimal.

"It would be very, very unlikely that you would shoot a goose that is carrying the bacteria, its very susceptible to cooking, so normal cooking practices would destroy the organism."

If you see a collection of deceased animals, Bollinger said to report it to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, as they are always on the lookout for diseases that could spread to humans or other animals.