<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/dec/05/native-birds-flying-foxes-lead-port-pirie-south-australia-ntwnfb>
"Dozens of native birds and flying foxes have been killed by “acute” lead
poisoning in the South Australian regional town of Port Pirie, with
contamination fears in the town that is home to one of the world’s largest lead
smelters.
Earlier this year locals in the 17,600-person town raised the alarm when they
began to find dead native birds and flying foxes in large numbers in parks and
green spaces, with subsequent testing of several animals showing they died from
acute lead poisoning.
Pictures of dead and sick animals had been posted to social media asking for
more information, with some initially speculating it may have been the result
of bird flu. Some users reported they had buried the animals after they found
them.
A post by the Port Pirie regional council on Instagram in August advised anyone
who found three or more dead or dying birds in a single location to report the
find to the Animal Disease Hotline for investigation.
It is unclear how many animals were affected but a spokesperson for the
Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (PIRSA) said
there were 14 reports of sick and dead birds in Port Pirie between 24 July and
14 September.
Two lorikeets, a honeyeater and three grey-headed flying foxes were sent for
laboratory testing that ruled out avian bird flu or any other virus and
confirmed the animals died from lead poisoning."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
