Residents of the Town of Digby aren’t able to access a popular hiking spot.

A large seagull mortality was noticed on Bear Island about two weeks ago.

Mayor Ben Cleveland says the guardian of the island, a biologist, believes Avian Flu is the culprit.

“Even though the Avian Flu is spread throughout the Maritimes and Nova Scotia, we want to eliminate it here by not tracking it back to the mainland,” says Cleveland.

The town has asked residents not to hike to Bear Island for the time being.

Cleveland says the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables is monitoring the situation.

“They’ll let us know when it’s safe to go back to the island, and they’ll advise on when it’s safe to feed birds again, because that hasn’t been happening here for a while.”

He says samples have been sent, and they are waiting for results.