Idaho duck die off

Duck probe done: Cause of deaths was a fungal infection

By Matt Christensen
Times-News writer

OAKLEY - An investigation into what killed nearly 2,500 mallards along Land Creek Springs has officially closed.

The cause of death was aspergillosis, a fungal infection the ducks probably contracted after eating moldy corn at a nearby farm, said Dave Parrish, director of the Jerome office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

"We have closed the investigation," he said. "And we're convinced moldy corn was the cause."

Parrish said every lab where dead ducks were sent for analysis found the same results, and a Department of Agriculture lab showed none of the ducks was poisoned by any type of chemical.

One early theory was that the ducks had eaten intentionally poisoned feed or had been poisoned by pollution from nearby cattle operations.

Parrish said that is absolutely not the case.

Another theory - that the birds had avian flu - has also been squelched. Early rumors about bird flu piqued the interests of Internet message-board posters and conspiracy theorists. No Idaho duck tested positive for the disease that's killed thousands of birds worldwide.

Parrish said his department continues to monitor the site, but that no dead ducks have been found since about Dec. 17. He said a cold snap days before Christmas probably killed the mold, effectively ending the problem.

Beginning in early December, the department found nearly 2,500 dead mallards in less than two weeks. An investigation was launched that included Fish and Game, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Environmental Quality, among other agencies.

Parrish said the deaths are unlikely to affect regional mallard populations. Next week, the department will conduct a duck count and expects to tally hundreds of thousands of ducks.

He said a fruitless search for the farm that was the source of the moldy corn also has stopped. The farm could be anywhere in a 20-mile radius of the creek, and since the mold is likely dead, the farm would be impossible to find.

Times-News staff writer Matt Christensen covers natural resources. Contact him at 735-3243 or at matt.christensen@lee.net.

 

By nature I am sarcastic to a fault and it is very hard to contain this tendency in this orange and black environment.  Sometimes I just have to not "say" anything at all for fear of alienating readers.  My last post I was just tinkering around and you and I both know very well the protocol and agendas most any country or agency will follow when even remotely dealing with BF or pandemic possiblities.  I'll try and be more emphatic next time!  It was all tongue in cheek - having fun in the early hours of the day.

They can sweep 20,000 dead ducks under the moldy carpet perhaps....
but this one is more difficult.

 

I will be waiting to see the followups on the Esperance (725km southeast of Perth) bird die off.

 

Australian thread....