Victoria’s conservation regulator has launched an investigation into the suspected fatal poisoning of 300 little corellas in Horsham, in the state’s north-west.
The incident, which began on Tuesday last week, has killed hundreds of protected birds in a popular park near the Wimmera river, just south of the city centre.
“It’s illegal and dangerous to poison wildlife and we’re calling on the community to come forward with any information they might have that will help us to track down whoever is responsible,” said Kate Gavens, chief conservation regulator.
Samples from dead birds have been taken for testing, Gavens said.
The incident follows a mass poisoning of more than 200 little corellas in Newcastle, which New South Wales authorities revealed was caused by a common agricultural pesticide.
Glenn Coffey, who manages the Horsham Riverside caravan park near where the birds were found, first noticed large numbers of sick and dying birds on 29 April.
“They were just sitting on the banks, falling out of the trees – they were drowning,” he said.
Sick birds were still turning up one week on. “They don’t move,” he said. “It looks like they’re standing up sleeping.”
Coffey was concerned the dead birds had begun appearing in a popular garden area on the river, frequented by food trucks and recently “done up” by the local council.
“It’s not just the birds. You’ve got people playing there on the grass. You’ve got ducks walking around, all different breeds of birds. You’ve got people walking their dogs.”
Horsham Rural city council has undertaken an extensive clean-up of the affected area. Council workers have been collecting dead birds by boat and on foot.
“Teams have also removed grain suspected to be poisoned, using vacuum cleaners in grassed areas and covering larger patches to prevent further harm to wildlife,” a council statement said.
In January, Victoria’s conservation regulator and agriculture department investigated another suspected poisoning of dozens of corellas in the rural town of Wunghnu, in northern Victoria, but was unable to determine the cause of the birds’ deaths.
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Dr Holly Parsons, who manages the urban bird program at BirdLife Australia, said corellas had adapted well to cities and towns and often attracted attention for their engaging antics.
Corellas were often attracted to well-watered gardens and sports fields, and enjoyed digging in the roots of lush lawns. “We’ve created great places for them. We built it, and they’ve come,” she said.
But the birds’ playful and “quite cheeky” nature had contributed to the perception among some that corellas were a pest, she said.
The birds explored with their beaks and could cause damage to crops and infrastructure, she said. “They can chew rubber, they can get into plastic fittings. They can cause a little bit of chaos.
“The other side of that is that they are really intelligent birds. They are really social birds. So they love being around in noisy flocks.”
The conservation regulator said corellas were protected under Victoria’s Wildlife Act, and there were “significant penalties for unlawfully hunting, taking or destroying protected wildlife, including imprisonment”.
“If you find dead or sick birds, do not touch or move them. Instead, take photos, note the location, and report clusters of five or more dead or sick birds by calling the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.”
