BoboCracker
01-12-2007, 10:02 PM
'Catastrophic': Now thousands of birds fall from sky -
www.WorldNetDaily.com<http://www.worldnetdaily.com/>
Wildlife officers baffled, autopsies shed no light on mystery
Thousands of birds inexplicably dropped like rocks from the sky over
Australia.
Thousands of wattle birds like this one have mysteriously dropped
dead in Australia
The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three
weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was
declared a disaster zone by government officials.
So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the
birds have shed no light.
The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are
wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and
singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also
been found.
Some birds were seen convulsing when they died.
Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a
"catastrophic" event. It does not appear to be weather-related.
District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: "It's
very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead,
although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of
bushland."
Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it
had not heard of a similar occurrence. "Not on that scale, and all
at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different
species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call
that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned
about."
Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas,
without explanation.
The incident prompted street closings for several hours.
Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but
found nothing, and they declared the area safe.
The dead birds - grackles, sparrows and pigeons - were being checked
for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the
illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly
deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.
__________________________________________________ ________
www.WorldNetDaily.com<http://www.worldnetdaily.com/>
Wildlife officers baffled, autopsies shed no light on mystery
Thousands of birds inexplicably dropped like rocks from the sky over
Australia.
Thousands of wattle birds like this one have mysteriously dropped
dead in Australia
The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three
weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was
declared a disaster zone by government officials.
So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the
birds have shed no light.
The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are
wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and
singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also
been found.
Some birds were seen convulsing when they died.
Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a
"catastrophic" event. It does not appear to be weather-related.
District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: "It's
very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead,
although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of
bushland."
Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it
had not heard of a similar occurrence. "Not on that scale, and all
at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different
species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call
that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned
about."
Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas,
without explanation.
The incident prompted street closings for several hours.
Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but
found nothing, and they declared the area safe.
The dead birds - grackles, sparrows and pigeons - were being checked
for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the
illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly
deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.
__________________________________________________ ________