Fears over suspected mass poisoning event in Aussie city: 'Utterly devastating'
Residents were horrified when more than 90 native birds were discovered dead and dying across an Australian city on Monday. Most of the affected birds appear to be corellas, a protected species that has frequently fallen victim to similar mass mortalities in several states.
First responders from Hunter Wildlife Rescue suspect the incident is likely a mass poisoning across the inner-city suburbs of Newcastle, and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been notified. The dead birds have been reported at multiple locations in Newcastle, Hamilton and Carrington. One witness told Yahoo News some of the birds had been seen falling over before they were collected.
Upset locals have been shocked by the unfolding event. "This is so utterly devastating," one person said. "This is horrible," another added.
The EPA told Yahoo its officers are investigating deaths across multiple sites and collecting samples from the birds for further testing.
'Testing will include ruling out bird flu and inspecting impacted locations for evidence of potential pesticide misuse,' it said. 'We're also contacting several vets across the Newcastle area to confirm the numbers of sick and dead birds, and where exactly they've been found.'
In January, the EPA confirmed with Yahoo it had investigated a number of mass bird fatalities, with several linked to the misuse of controlled poisons. Affected birds included cockatoos, ibis, magpies, ravens and pigeons.
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Following today's corella deaths, it warned the negligent use of pesticides in a manner that harms any non-target animal can attract penalties of up to $500,000 for an individual and $2,000,000 for a corporation.
'We encourage anyone with information on this incident to come forward by calling our 24/7 Environment Line on 131 555,' it said.
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