Ocean Sentry
(From stuff.co.nz)- A seagull found on a Christchurch beach died after contact with a substance so toxic the bird”s convulsions were akin to a boxer being punched in the head, says an animal pathologist.
The protected red-billed gull, along with three other birds of the same species, was found by a resident walking on Scarborough Beach on August 21.
The gull had bled at the base of the skull. “It’s the same as boxers get when you smack them in the head,” Gartrell said. The other gulls may have died from drowning after being disabled by the toxin. Toxins could come from intentional poisoning or even naturally occurring substances made by algae or shellfish.
ne resident had reported seeing gulls diving into a brown patch of water about 40m offshore before “flapping ferociously” and then plummeting back into the sea.
(By GILES BROWN)
