09/03/2019
Some
56 Mallards and a Canada
Goose died in a park in Calgary, Canada, due to starvation and
exposure. Alberta Environment and Parks confirmed the reason behind the grim
scenes, which were discovered during the last week of February in Elliston
Park. A few carcasses were discovered initially by Heather and Wayne Clarke,
with more and more dead birds being found in the following days. This sparked
an investigation with the outcome ruling that limited foraging opportunities
drove the mass deaths.
Alberta
Environment and Parks and the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative at the
University of Calgary investigated the incident at the stormwater pond, and in
a statement said: "[We] have determined that the ducks suffered from
starvation and exposure, which was the likely cause that led to the mortality
of 56 Mallards and one Canada Goose. Some additional tests are underway to rule
out other causes of death."
Due to extremely cold temperatures, birds that spend the winter as
far north as Calgary can face a particularly tough
time – particularly wildfowl, which depend on open water. It's
thought that particularly harsh conditions sparked the sudden death of
such a large number of birds.
When Mr
and Mrs Clarke first came across the load of dead animals there were only a
handful of bodies, but open further visits to the pond during the same week
many more appeared. Wayne Clarke said: "We couldn't believe it … after a
week, 50 birds, scattered around – unbelievable. I've been hiking around this
lake here for 17 years and I've never seen it like this."
Brett
Boukall, Senior Wildlife Biologist at Alberta Environment and Parks, added:
"When we see this overcrowding, the birds might not be able to feed
effectively, they might not be able to protect themselves from the elements.
It's possible that if one of them is carrying a disease, it can spread more
quickly when they’re in a tighter group in a smaller area."
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