Australian officials believe the misuse of pesticides has caused the poisoning and deaths of more than 200 birds, and they are asking for the public's help to investigate the crime.
What's happening?
The Guardian reported that hundreds of little corellas have been found extremely sick or dead in New South Wales.
Veterinarians and other volunteers have been working to save any surviving birds. Based on its observations, the NSW Environment Protection Authority believes they were poisoned by pesticides.
"It's a heartbreaking situation," Kate Randolph, Hunter Wildlife Rescue's acting president, told the publication.
Little corellas are usually loud, playful birds that gather at local marinas. But the affected birds have instead shown symptoms such as paralysis and unsteadiness, and many are unable to fly.
"When you approach them, they can't fly, they can barely move," volunteer Kerry Walker said. "They try to spread their wings, and they just literally topple forward."
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Officials said pesticide poisoning is a likely culprit, although it could be weeks until toxicology reports are complete.
Why are pesticides important?
Pesticides are commonly used for agricultural purposes, with an estimated 1 billion pounds used each year in the United States alone.
But these chemical-laden products aren't just harmful to the weeds and insects they target. They also pose a number of risks to the environment and to the health of humans and animals.
They leach into our soil and waterways, so much so that pesticide residue has been found in several popular baby foods. When combined with the effects of climate change, pesticides have been shown to reduce bees' life expectancy by up to 70%.
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All the time 😨 And just like with the little corellas, a similar situation occurred in NSW last year, as dozens of magpies were believed to have been poisoned, including nine that died. Officials in that case also believed pesticides could have been to blame.
What's being done about pesticide poisoning?
In NSW, individuals who misuse pesticides can be fined up to $500,000, and companies can face a $2 million penalty. Officials have asked the public for help identifying those who may have been responsible for the alleged poisoning.
Veterinarian Tania Bishop also told The Guardian that this incident should serve as a warning about feeding wild birds. When birds learn to trust humans and take food from them, she said, it makes them more susceptible to intentional poisoning.
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