THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180368
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Wildlife rehabilitators suspect foul play with some of the fowl at lakeside communities like Kempsville Lakes and Brookside Condominiums.
Close to 50 ducks, mostly Muscovys, have shown signs of intentional poisoning, Wildlife Society rehabilitators contend. Some have died, others are permanently blind and some others will recover.
The wildlife advocates charge that the apparent poisonings are a cruel reaction to recent reports that duck feces are partly responsible for the poor water quality at Lake Trashmore.
High levels of fecal coliform, a bacteria that can carry disease, closed the lake to human contact five years ago. A new water study indicated that animal waste is to blame.
``Everybody is really ranting and raving about duck poop now,'' said Sarah Kesler, a Wildlife Society volunteer.
``Our hot line has been so busy. People are afraid they're going to catch diseases from them because of the problem at Mount Trashmore.
``Don't they know that duck poop is sold to fertilize yards?''
Kesler said some callers threatened to poison the ducks.
Two days after a newspaper story ran about the duck feces at Lake Trashmore last month, ducks around the city started showing signs of poisoning, said Kathy Bliss, a volunteer rehabilitator.
Most of them, about 40, were found at Kempsville Lakes and Brookside Condominiums, she said. Several others were found at Indian River and Windsor Oaks. About a dozen pigeons and mourning doves also were poisoned.
``They think they're just getting rid of the ducks, but they're poisoning everything else in and around the lakes,'' Bliss said.
Bliss said the ailments have not been caused by botulism, a common duck disease in the warm summer months.
``They were definitely poisoned,'' the licensed rehabilitator said. ``They did not act like normal botulism cases.''
Whereas blindness is a symptom of both conditions, Bliss said the ducks did not display other botulism symptoms of rubbery necks and weak wings and legs.
No medical tests, however, have been conducted to confirm the findings, because they are costly and rehabilitators are confident in their diagnosis.
Bliss, the society's duck expert, has been picking up and treating the sick ducks, then releasing them at approved sites, a nature park in Hampton and Fort Eustis.
The proliferation of ducks at community lakes and ponds has been a problem for civic leagues around the city. Residents complain about the messy droppings and worry about the spread of disease to other ducks and wildlife, as well as to people.
Some initiated programs to reduce their domestic duck and goose populations. At Brookside Condominiums, for example, some ducks and geese were moved to a farm, and duck nests are regularly removed to discourage overpopulation.
Migratory ducks, like mallards, are a federally protected species and cannot be moved.
The wildlife rehabilitators stress that the ducks alone are not responsible for the problems at Lake Trashmore.
Lake Trashmore and many other city lakes were created to hold stormwater and all the pollutants - including animal feces and fertilizers and oils - that get washed from our yards and streets into storm drains. The holding ponds reduce the amount of pollution that goes directly into rivers, bays and the ocean.
``They are stormwater-management facilities,'' said Karl Smithson, a city engineer in the Public Works Department. ``They were never intended to be used for recreational purposes.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
Kathy Bliss, a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, feeds ducks in the
Kempsville Lakes community, where some ducks have shown signs of
intentional poisoning.
by CNB