Virus Hits High School -- Grackles Fall Dead
SEGUIN
Grackle deaths raise questions
Health officials are investigating after more than 150 dead grackles were found in the parking lot of a shopping center and at least 10 more were found at a store across the street. One area scientist said the deaths should be cause for alarm, but local authorities say it is too soon to tell.
Local officials "think this is chemical in nature, but I am concerned that they did not take proper precautions," Lane Gergely, a microbiologist with Sure Life and Legend Laboratories, was quoted as saying in The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise's online editions.
The birds "hemorrhaged internally, (their organs) were mush, and it did not come from anything they ingested. Somebody either poisoned them with a chemical that travels through the skin or it's viral and bacterial in nature."
Animal Control Supervisor Randall Springs said several samples of the dead birds found Wednesday had already been sent to the Texas Department of Health, the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and more were being sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Madison, Wis.
http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/metro_state_5.html metro& state "texas digest"
Scientist raises alarm of death of grackles
By Bryan Kirk
Seguin Gazette
Published January 10, 2003
SEGUIN While one area scientist said the deaths of more than 150 grackles at two area shopping centers should be cause for alarm, local authorities still say it is too soon to tell.
Lane Gergely, who is a microbiologist with Sure Life and Legend Laboratories, said there is every reason for the community at large to be concerned.
They think this is chemical in nature, but I am concerned that they did not take proper precautions, Gergely said. They (the birds) hemorrhaged internally, they (their organs) were mush and it did not come from anything they ingested. Somebody either poisoned them with a chemical that travels through the skin or its viral and bacterial in nature.
Merchants at the Plaza Del Rey shopping center were shocked Wednesday to discover the north end of the parking lot littered with the carcasses of more than 150 grackles when they came to work Wednesday morning.
Approximately 150 grackles were recovered at Plaza Del Rey with at least 10 more discovered across the street in the parking lot of J.C. Penneys.
Plaza Del Rey merchants said they had spoken with an official with Trammell Crow, the commercial real estate company that has a financial interest in the shopping center, and learned the company had experienced a similar incident at one of their properties in San Antonio. Attempts to contact officials with Trammel Crow were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Animal Control Supervisor Randall Springs said several samples of the dead birds had already been sent to the Texas Department of Health, the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with more being sent out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Madison, Wis.
Springs said it was still too early to tell just what caused all these birds to die en masse so suddenly, but that everything that could be done was being done.
It could be a number of things, he said. There is no telling. I went with Parks and Wildlife, and there are no more dead birds. I guess if there is something really bad well know in a few days.
No matter how bad it is, its something the community needs to be aware of, Gergely said.
She said whatever was used to kill the birds could have been used elsewhere.
Im not a chemist, I am a microbiologist, but I do know epidemiology. And this thing just had to have happened very rapidly to cause that, she said. Its a real scary thing, and its something the community needs to be worried about.
Gergely said a virus carried by these birds or any possible poison used to kill them could ultimately affect humans.
If a human gets enough of this, it could have the same effect, she said. We need to find who did this, where it came from and how they got a hold of it.
In small doses, Gergely said there could be symptoms in the community that could crop up later that are comparable to the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam veterans.
Because of the implications to other species and the fact this occurred in such a public place, Gergely said she was considering asking the Environmental Protection Agency to come in and investigate the matter.
Whatever happens, its not good. Whether its chemical, viral or biological, it can affect humans, she said.
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