Botulism suspected behind bird deaths: Pingtung official
By Chen Yen-ting / Staff reporter
Sightings of dead ducks and other large birds in wetland areas in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) have sparked concern among local wildlife advocates and led to calls for immediate action by authorities.
An outbreak of botulism, caused by the neurotoxin-producing
Clostridium botulinum, last year caused the death of a large number of wild birds near the mouth of the Kaoping River (高屏溪), a situation that authorities worry might recur.
Populations of ducks, herons and various species of the
Charadriidae family have in the past few years increased in the wetlands near Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣) and elsewhere in the township.