MYSTERY shrouds the death of dozens of Little Corellas in Goulburn this week. A local vet hasn’t ruled out the possibility of deliberate poisoning.
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About 40 dead and dying birds – all protected Little Corellas - were found in Victoria Park on Wednesday.
The Department of Primary Industries and the NSW Environment Protection Authority are investigating.
Autopsy test results confirming the cause of death could take more than a week.
Goulburn resident Roger Curtis was walking his dog through the park just after 9.30am on Wednesday, when he stumbled upon a number of the small cockatoos near the Goulburn Aquatic Centre.
“My dog then cottoned on to something behind a tree, and he found two birds who were on the ground,” Mr Curtis told the Post. “They couldn’t fly, but they just spread the wings and made a lot of noise, trying to scare the dog away.”
Mr Curtis went home and notified the authorities, including Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
Shortly after being contacted by Mr Curtis, the Post found a number of dead Little Corellas scattered around the park.
We took a lethargic and squawking bird to the Southern Tablelands Veterinary Hospital who confirmed they received other sick birds.
Council rangers spent Wednesday afternoon collecting the dead. More bird bodies were seen in the park, on the Faithfull Street side, yesterday.
Goulburn vet Peter Wright said about 25 dead corellas had been taken to his Clinton St surgery as well as five sick birds.
He said he had spoken to Council as well as WIRES and Local Land Services (LLS) about the incident. Dr Wright said there were three possible causes of their deaths.
“The first is that it is an act of accidental poisoning, where the birds may have been given wheat that had a fungal toxin,” he said.
“The second theory is that it was an act of deliberate poisoning of the birds. Thirdly, it could be a viral disease.
“There is no conclusive evidence at this stage as to what is causing the bird deaths.”
Dr Wright advised caution in handling the dead birds in case it was a virus.
“If you are going to pick up a dead bird, use gloves and hold it away from your face, just in case it is a virus - because in some instances these viruses can be transferred to humans,” he said.
He said he had sent samples of the bird to the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute lab for testing via LLS.
He has also been in touch with WIRES and Taronga Zoo about the situation.
“In the meantime, if you see a dead corella let WIRES know.”
The number for WIRES Southern Tablelands is 4822 3888.