FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Bird flu cases across the country and around Indiana have been in the news a lot lately. Fort Wayne Zoo is home to many birds and it's always taking extra steps to keep all the animals safe and healthy. The zoo hasn't had any cases of bird flu. "The highly pathogeni c strain of bird flu has been in the United States since 2014. It's not going anywhere. It's here all the time. It's just not top-of-mind until it's in the news that a farm had to shut down or euthanize birds because of it, but there's so many things, like bird flu and COVID that we're constantly keeping on top of," Michelle Smurl, the zoo's Vice President of Animal Care and Conservation Education, said. Meet Fort Wayne Zoo’s new African lion The zoo is constantly monitoring cases across the country and around the region. "There are red flags and we go into high alert and establish strict protocols and guidelines for us to follow," Smurl said. "Bird flu in Allen County is different than in the state of Indiana or in Ohio. Ohio is so close we do consider what's happening at the border at well." If a case is too close to the zoo, birds would be taken off exhibit and brought inside. "When we do keep birds in a protected area, our enrichment coordinator is making sure their needs are met and makes sure they have choice and control in the protected area," Smurl said. "If cases were high, we'd consider locking down the dome." Wild on WANE: Rainforest Dome Encounter The zoo did put foot baths, which is a wet scrub mat followed by a rug, at the dome entrance to keep contaminants out. The "foot bath" at the entrance to the dome in Asian Trek. "It's one precaution people are taking and don't even know it when they enter a bird area. Luckily [the birds in the dome] aren't susceptible to bird flu. It's really hitting water fowl like geese and we're watching our chickens and peafowl. Wild on WANE: Snowy Owl Over the winter, the zoo brought the peafowl inside. "There was a lot going on behind the scenes that people didn't know about," Smurl said. "For the peacocks, it was not just bird flu, but it was really cold, so we established a really nice holding area for them and moved them inside. It prevented them from being exposed to too cold of temperatures and protected them from bird flu." Over the winter the lions and tigers were also kept inside for a little while to limit their potential exposure to bird flu. The African penguins aren't out yet more because it's not warm enough than because of bird flu risk. But, the zoo is constantly monitoring all the animals to make sure they're happy and healthy. Wild on WANE: Penguin Encounter "We have dedicated team looking for symptoms and if one bird acts off, or has a decreased appetite, we're immediately hands-on, taking preventative measures and doing tests to make sure it's not bird flu or anything else. We have a really good preventative medicine program here," Smurl said. ...read more read less