Ducks weren’t poisoned: MNR

Poison was not the cause of death for a dozen ducks that died suddenly in a neighbourhood in the city’s north end in September.

Necropsy tests conducted at the University of Guelph ruled out poison and botulism, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).

Judy Raymond, a resident in the area where the ducks died, received an email Thursday from the MNRF’s conservation officer investigating the deaths. The Examiner couldn’t reach a representative from the MNRF for comment on Monday.

In the email, the officer stated that extensive testing for botulism was the cause for the delayed results. The 12 ducks were sent to Guelph within days of dropping dead on Sept. 3.

The fowl had waddled from a pond off of Evans Dr. into the surrounding neighbourhood.

One minute they appeared fine, Raymond said, the next they were dead.

Raymond rushed another two ducks that were struggling to survive to a wildlife refuge. They recovered and were released.

Poison was top of mind for neighbours and was also suggested by the owner of the refuge.

Raymond said she and others were relieved to hear that poison wasn’t involved.

“I know a lot of the neighbours were profoundly relieved, as was I, that it wasn’t a poisoning – that nobody’s out there deliberately trying to hurt anybody or anything,” said Raymond.

Some residents in the area had stopped walking their dogs near the pond, fearing poison.

“It’s safe for them to go down there with their pets again, so that will alleviate a lot of the feelings,” said Raymond.

The conservation officer’s email also stated that botulism is extremely tough to test for and can result in false negative test results. Botulism is a rare potentially fatal paralytic illness.

Raymond found that a bit frustrating, along with the fact that the tests offered no answers.

Although it seems there will never be an answer to what happened to the birds, there’s at least peace in knowing they weren’t deliberately hurt, Raymond said.

A representative from the MNRF couldn’t be reached for comment.