Cause of mass corella deaths revealed
More than 50 corellas died after falling from the sky and landing on the grounds of a school north of Adelaide. The reason for their death has now been revealed. WARNING: Disturbing images
- Birds with ‘blood coming out of their mouths’ fall from sky, on to primary school grounds
- Sole survivor of corella poisoning
More than 50 birds that fell from the sky and died on the grounds of a primary school north of Adelaide were killed by a common agricultural pesticide, the Environment Department has revealed.
The group of corellas landed at One Tree Hill Primary School on July 10 and all but one died.
Witnesses said the birds had blood coming from their mouths and they were having seizures on the ground in front of horrified vacation care children.
The Environment Department, with the assistance of the Primary Industries and Regions Department, and the RSPCA launched investigations into the matter.
The Environment Department has released the results of disease and toxin tests carried out on the deceased birds.
“No diseases were detected, however toxicity testing revealed the presence of an organophosphate-based agricultural pesticide,” a department spokeswoman said.
These pesticides are commonly used on crops and domestic gardens.
The spokeswoman said the department’s inquiries into the mass poisoning were continuing.
She said concerns over possible chemical misuse could be reported to PIRSA’s Rural Chemicals on 1300 799 684.
Meanwhile, Casper’s Bird Rescue is preparing to release the sole surviving corella back into the wild in the coming days.
Co-founder Sarah King said the bird — nicknamed ‘SOTH,’ which stands for Survivor One Tree Hill — was lucky to have recovered from its ordeal.
“He’s looking really good,” she said.
“We’re waiting for a nice day and to find a new flock and (then we’ll) release him.”
Ms King said organophosphate-based pesticides should be banned because of the harm they can do to wildlife.
“If not banned, then they need to be strictly controlled,” she said.
“People buying it need to be registered so we can track when these atrocities happen.”
