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Scientists investigating bird deaths at City Park
<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer
<!--date-->Article Last Updated: 09/04/2007 12:07:02 AM MDT
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About 20 dead ducks and geese were found in the murky water of Denver s City Park lakes. (Post / Kathryn Scott Osler)
<script language="JavaScript"> if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } </script>Samples from about 20 dead ducks and geese found at Denver's City Park have been sent to a state wildlife laboratory in Fort Collins for testing.
The dead animals were discovered floating Saturday afternoon in Ferril Lake and Duck Lake.
On Monday afternoon, at least three more duck carcasses were floating in Ferril Lake and another two were bobbing on the lake's western shore in pond scum and trash.
People who rented paddle boats on the lake Monday remarked on the dead ducks, said Joe Sandberg, who operates the boat rental for KM Concessions.
Colorado Division of Wildlife officials are asking people not to feed waterfowl at the park pending results of the tests.
Officials said they don't know whether the deaths were caused by human feeding or disease.
"We'll try to get to the bottom of this and find out," said Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield.
"From year to year, we have die-offs of waterfowl," he said. "It's not that rare for this to happen."
He advised people to stay clear of dead animals at the park.
In 2000, at least 16 ducks died from botulism at Duck Lake. At that time, veterinary officials said botulism type C has been a common problem at the lake.
The botulinum toxin grows in the lake and is transferred to wildlife through maggots that feed off animal carcasses. The maggots are eaten by waterfowl.
The same strain of botulism killed hundreds of ducks in 2001 at Glenmere Lake and Milton Reservoir in Weld County.
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com.
http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6793841
<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer
<!--date-->Article Last Updated: 09/04/2007 12:07:02 AM MDT
<script language="JavaScript"> var requestedWidth = 0; </script><script language="JavaScript"> if(requestedWidth < 200){ requestedWidth = 200; } </script>
About 20 dead ducks and geese were found in the murky water of Denver s City Park lakes. (Post / Kathryn Scott Osler)<script language="JavaScript"> if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } </script>Samples from about 20 dead ducks and geese found at Denver's City Park have been sent to a state wildlife laboratory in Fort Collins for testing.
The dead animals were discovered floating Saturday afternoon in Ferril Lake and Duck Lake.
On Monday afternoon, at least three more duck carcasses were floating in Ferril Lake and another two were bobbing on the lake's western shore in pond scum and trash.
People who rented paddle boats on the lake Monday remarked on the dead ducks, said Joe Sandberg, who operates the boat rental for KM Concessions.
Colorado Division of Wildlife officials are asking people not to feed waterfowl at the park pending results of the tests.
Officials said they don't know whether the deaths were caused by human feeding or disease.
"We'll try to get to the bottom of this and find out," said Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield.
"From year to year, we have die-offs of waterfowl," he said. "It's not that rare for this to happen."
He advised people to stay clear of dead animals at the park.
In 2000, at least 16 ducks died from botulism at Duck Lake. At that time, veterinary officials said botulism type C has been a common problem at the lake.
The botulinum toxin grows in the lake and is transferred to wildlife through maggots that feed off animal carcasses. The maggots are eaten by waterfowl.
The same strain of botulism killed hundreds of ducks in 2001 at Glenmere Lake and Milton Reservoir in Weld County.
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com.
http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6793841
