The media love a good conspiracy and, if it involves the suspicious death of around 200 individuals, that makes if all the more interesting. Our local ABC radio station received a tip-off earlier this week that there had been a dramatic reduction in the number of ducks at a local reserve. A reporter was sent out to investigate and breathlessly noted that she had only been able to count three individuals in an area known to be 'infested' by ducks.
Someone else rang in to add the information that council workers dressed 'like spacemen' had been seen throwing dead ducks into the backs of trucks. The breakfast announcer couldn't believe his luck, being confronted with such a juicy story, and rang a local bird expert for his take on the situation.
The professor was in his car at the time, with a dodgy Bluetooth connection, and a strong New York accent, so he wasn't easy to understand, but I did make out the words 'botulism event'. What's going on? Is the government keeping a terrorist attack from the public?
Sadly, it's a storm in a teacup. Rotting vegetation, in very hot weather, can produce avian botulism spores which can become toxic. It happens rarely in Tasmania ( I wonder why) but is common in hotter climates. It's not good for ducks but not a problem for humans. Of course, botulism can grow in human food but that's another story.
I confess that the above story might contain some exaggeration and alternative facts.
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