Hundreds of birds found dead near Brisbane airport as RSPCA fears a poisoning event
Hundreds of birds and other animals have been found dead near Australia’s major airport as experts fear mass poisoning
- Hundreds of dead ducks found in lake
- The mossy Pinkenba Lake has a strong smell
- RSPCA and other agencies are now investigating
Hundreds of birds are dead and other animals are falling ill as wildlife experts fear a poisoning event in a lake near a major airport.
Dead ducks, geese and toads have been found in the lake at Pinkenba, near Brisbane Airport, and RSPCA Queensland is concerned more will die.
Located off Main Beach Road and Sandmere Road, near the mouth of the Brisbane River in the east of the city, the lake is covered in thick algae that is said to have emitted a foul stench.
The RSPCA asked Brisbane City Council and the state government to work with them to find a cause for the sudden deaths, which animal control suspects are poison-related.
On Thursday, council members and the Department of Environment and Science visited the locations for further investigation.
Hundreds of ducks are dead and more fall ill in two bodies of water in a Pinkenba lake near Brisbane Airport
RSPCA Queensland is concerned that the unexplained deaths will continue and may spread
Birds and other animals have been seen feeding on the carcasses of the dead animals, eating maggots containing bacteria and causing fatal cases of botulism.
Queensland’s RSPCA rescue manager, Jo Jordaan, has sent some of the deceased animals to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ biosecurity unit to try to determine a cause.
“Until biosecurity has the results of the sample we sent them, it’s very hard to say, but we certainly can’t decide [poisoning] out,’ Mrs Jordan told Brisbane’s 4BC Breakfast.
“Of course, if it’s a small number, we can consider this a coincidence, but we’re talking about a large number.
“We’re also concerned about our own safety because while we’re saving birds, to essentially put them out of their misery, if it’s poison, we need to know for our own health.”
The lake is located in an industrial area next to the airport and close to the Port of Brisbane, which increases the risk of water pollution.
“The stench is terrible, it smells like a tip and it’s a heartbreaking sight,” said Ms Jordaan.
“Ducks keep flying into the water source – it’s really sad for them because they’ve obviously made it their home, but it kills them.”
Late on Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment and Science confirmed that an investigation was underway in conjunction with the RSPCA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Lake Pinkenba (pictured) is covered in a thick layer of moss and has a strong odor that may be related to the dead
RSPCA has been able to rescue some ducks from the lake at Pinkenba, but still finds a higher number of deaths
Most of the birds affected are ducks, with a deceased ibis, magpie geese, dead rats and toads also found from the lake.
Ms Jordaan said she also found a hare and a fox in the same area on Wednesday.
“The problem we had was last night when we were trying to save even more birds, we had at least 30 magpie geese flown over,” said Ms Jordaan.
“So they’re all coming into this water source… and they’re not just staying here, they’re flying into others, so we could potentially be dealing with sick birds around Brisbane harbour.”
Most of the birds affected are ducks (pictured), and predators are now feeding on the maggot-infested carcasses, causing fatal cases of botulism
Pinkenba (pictured) is an industrial area near Brisbane Airport and Brisbane Harbour