Suspected poisoning of 30 magpies in Cootamundra under investigation

The New South Wales environmental watchdog is investigating a suspected poisoning that has left nine magpies dead and more than a dozen others needing treatment.

Karlie Johnston, the practice manager at Cooper Street veterinary hospital in Cootamundra, said 30 magpies had been brought into the vet in recent days. Many were unable to stand or walk, and some had completely lost the use of their legs.

Of those, nine had died and the rest were still being treated, although none were yet fully recovered.

Johnston said it was “highly likely” the magpies were poisoned, based on the number of birds from the one area which were affected in such a short time.

“We treat injured and sick birds all the time, but we’ve never had 30 brought in at one go … everyone’s been pretty upset about it,” she said.

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In a Facebook post last week, the hospital said “someone in town is poisoning the magpies”, adding that 26 magpies had been brought in to the vet in the past 18 hours.

“Please be on the lookout for any unwell magpies,” the post said.

A NSW Environment Protection Authority spokesperson said in a statement it was investigating the incident.

“Until we have results from those tests we can’t comment on any possible cause,” they said, according to the ABC.

Almost all birds were found across the same two streets in northern Cootamundra.

The EPA spokesperson said the negligent use of pesticides in a manner that harmed any non-target animal could attract penalties of up to $500,000 for an individual or $2m for a corporation.

Johnston said there were several substances, including pesticides, rodenticides and certain herbicides, that could have accidentally poisoned the magpies.

“We don’t see mass events like this very often, which is lucky,” she said.

A few years ago, the hospital treated parrots which ate poison grain intended to kill rats and mice, she said.

The results of the EPA’s tests were expected to be announced in the next few weeks.