'Died in their tracks': Mystery after magpies found on Melbourne lawn
There are warnings of a potential poisoning threat in the western suburbs of Melbourne after a local awoke on Saturday morning to find five dead magpies, all within 15 metres of each other, and one nearby barely alive.
The concerned local contacted the Point Cook Wildlife organisation who collected the bodies and took a sixth unwell bird to Werribee Open Range Zoo.
After an overnight stay, the sick magpie was released back into the care of Point Cook Wildlife where she will stay while carers work on a release plan as “she has most likely lost all her family,” the organisation wrote on Facebook.
The five deceased magpies will undergo examinations to determine the cause of death.
Two juvenile ravens were also reported at a nearby school showing similar symptoms as the surviving magpie and were taken for treatment.
“At this point we have one surviving magpie and one surviving raven both in care and not out of the woods but progressing well,” Elaine from Point Cook Wildlife told Yahoo News Australia.
“But we don’t even know if the same reason is behind both birds’ symptoms,” she added.
There are fears that the birds may have ingested poison but wildlife carers are waiting for the toxicology reports before she jumps to conclusions.
“There is no indication at this point in time to infer that human interference is either intentional or accidental or indeed whether human interference is the cause,” Elaine said.
The team from Point Cook Wildlife have asked members of the public to keep an eye out for any birds that appear distressed in the Altona Meadows area.
“If you see a bird or birds lying on the ground (and) they seem to not be able to move and they may have wings splayed please get in touch with us to ensure they can receive the help they will need to recover. If you find a bird or birds that appear to have died in their tracks ... please also get in touch so it can be collected and tested,” the organisation posted on Facebook.
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