O/T Geese Died Of Fungal Disease

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Geese Died Of Fungal Disease

having grazed in another area and inhaling the deadly spores.

http://www.cheshireherald.com/node/340

Cheshire Herald - Cheshire,CT,USA

February 24, 2009 by RookA group of Canada geese, recently found

dead near a pond at Elim Park, died from a fungal disease spread

through mold, representatives from the Connecticut Department of

Environmental Protection announced this week.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, Cheshire police officers were called to Elim

Park after neighbors had noticed seven geese lying dead near a pond

at the retirement community. Representatives from the DEP were

immediately contacted and began an extensive examination of the pond

and surrounding area.

Four of the geese were found initially, and three later discovered,

as DEP investigators combed the site. All of the dead geese were

immediately taken to a pathobiology laboratory at the University of

Connecticut for autopsies.

According to Greg Chasko, the assistant director of wildlife at the

DEP, no toxins were found in the pond water that would account for

the death of the geese. " All water testing came back negative, "

Chasko revealed.

In addition, it was revealed that a group of Mallard ducks had also

been using the pond on a regular basis and none of them were ill or

died, Chasko stated.

Focusing their attention on the geese themselves, Chasko stated that

a procedure called necropsy was performed on the geese, which

revealed that they had died from a disease called aspergillosis, a

fungal disease that affects the respiratory system. The disease is

commonly found in birds and is usually contracted by ingesting mold,

Chasko explained.

Chasko stated that the birds most likely contracted the disease away

from Elim Park, having grazed in another area and inhaling the deadly

spores.

" There have been no other reports of dead birds, " said Chasko. " This

is what usually happens with aspergillosis. You get a handful of

birds in isolated events. "

The mold may have been inhaled from any number of sources, Chasko

offered, from grass or hay that contained the mold spores to food

distributed by residents.

" There is no way for us to determine the exact source, " he said.

The disease cannot be spread from bird to bird, and while humans can

contract the disease, he said, it is " extremely rare. "