USDA kills Pascagoula ducks and geese citing 'health and safety' concerns
Posted: Sep 25, 2015 5:35 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 25, 2015 8:41 PM CDT
By Steve PhillipsCONNECT
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -
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?Saw a couple of dead ducks and didn't think too much about it,? said retired veterinarian, Dr. John Battley.
But then, Battley noticed the wind had moved even more dead animals.
?It had the ducks pushed up in one corner and there were about 25 or 30 of them. And then down that little canal there were a couple more dead and a couple very sick,? said Battley. ?I would say approximately 30 dead. And then approximately 15 more that were sick."
The City of Pascagoula says USDA was taking the ducks as part of a "random" testing program for bird flu with the assistance of local animal control.
?They came out with them to distribute some bread that had a sedative in it, to sedate the birds. And again, I'm investigating further to find out their additional actions,? said Pascagoula Police Chief Kenny Johnson.
However, a USDA spokesperson Pam Boehland says the agency's actions had nothing at all to do with avian flu testing.
Boehland says they were removing the geese and ducks at the request of the nearby Lakeshore Naval Facility, since droppings from the animals were creating a "health and safety" concern.
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