Parks Victoria has taken samples for testing, with an expert suggesting the source could be avian botulism
The reserve will remain closed while monitoring takes place, with authorities warning people not to enter the water, or handle sick or dead birds. Authorities have also warned people to keep their pets away from the area to make sure they do not eat infected fish, birds or maggots.Sean Dooley, the national public affairs manager at Birdlife Australia, believes the most likely cause of the event would be avian botulism, a disease caused by bacteria in soil and water.
Botulism outbreaks are common during drought when wetlands evaporate rapidly, causing more birds to be concentrated in smaller areas of warmer, shallow water, and resulting in a concentration of bird faeces, Dooley said. “I assume what’s happening [in Bells Swamp] is that it’s filled during those rains that we had in October and perhaps now, in the hotter weather, when you get big numbers of water birds with no flush of new water to refresh things, it just becomes a petri dish,” Dooley said.
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