KENORA – After dozens of pigeons in the city were found dying or already dead, community members quickly worked to identify what was happening.
It started on July 28, when the first reports was filed with Iggy’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Kenora.
Volunteer Erika Olson said the first pigeon brought in died shortly after arriving, and right away she felt what she believed to be bait corn in its stomach. The presence of the corn was confirmed following a necropsy, an autopsy for non-humans. Bait corn is field corn left on the stalk to dry, turning it hard.
Reports of birds, including crows and seagulls, came in to the centre in rapid succession, Olson said. After several more necropsies, it was deduced that Avitrol-laced bait corn was responsible for the deaths. Avitrol is a bird pesticide that can poison other species that eat it, or that eat an affected bird.
To be certain, the bodies of the affected birds will be sent to Guelph for testing.
Avitrol affects the nervous system and causes seizures. It can only be administered by licensed pest control companies, and is banned in some municipalities throughout Canada, including London, Ont.
“We’ve been contacted about dozens, that will be a small percentage of the birds affected because most of them will have died at different locations around town and been eaten by wildlife,” said Olson.
She added reports had come in about dead birds that were nowhere to be found when someone went to retrieve it. One was seen being carried away by a fox, and many community members were concerned about the safety of their cats and dogs.
After asking businesses in the downtown area and posting on social media, Olson received tips online that allowed her to narrow the search down to a Main St. property. Olson did not wish to identify the property, as both the tenants and landlord were helpful, and through them she was able to find the pest control company.
According to Olson, Poulin’s Pest Control confirmed to her they had used Avitrol for one client in Kenora, and that it would not be used again. Newswatch has reached out to the company to confirm this interaction.
“They assured me that it would be cleaned up, I think on the following day, and that they were going to be in town later that week and they said they would double check to make sure it was all cleaned up,” she said.
The chemical’s label reads that the “authorized handler must not leave the site until all dead/dying birds and unused bait are retrieved from the site.”
The most recent report of a potentially poisoned bird was Aug. 8, after the bait corn had been cleaned up.
Olson stressed this was not the case of a landlord who hates animals, and was simply a landlord who hired a pest control company because their tenants were affected by pigeons in the area.
“We all live here, we all belong here, the only thing that doesn’t belong here is this poison and I’m hoping that we can take action and get it banned in our community,” she said.
“We’re overwhelmed from a wildlife rehab standpoint and people are upset and I think often people don’t realize the effects of the methods that are being used.”
One bird in their care survived and has been released.
Following the initial reports, a spokesperson with the city said it was being investigated by provincial animal welfare services. They encourage people with information to report to the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre at 1-833-926-4625.
A spokesperson with the OPP said no formal reports had been made to the police, but an investigation would occur if a report was filed.
Newswatch has reached out to the City of Kenora about whether banning Avitrol will be pursued.
