Authorities believe corellas close to Heywood's golf course were deliberately poisoned using tainted grain.
THE deaths of numerous corellas near the Heywood Golf Club has prompted a warning that the illegal baiting of native birds and animals will lead to prosecutions.
A joint Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI) investigation found that grain found beside the Heywood golf course had been treated with a highly toxic pesticide which kills insects and birds.
DPI chemical standards officer Jo Robinson said the chemical found on the grain was highly toxic to birds and may have contributed to the corellas’ death.
DSE senior wildlife officer Jim O’Brien said the poisonings appeared to have been a callous attempt to kill some of the birds in the area.
“Not only is this a concern for native animals, but domestic animals may also be at risk if they were to eat the carcass of a poisoned animal found in a paddock or on the side of the road,” he said.
Ms Robinson said although the source of the treated grain couldn’t be identified, it was a timely reminder to all residents in the Heywood district that the practice of baiting birds was unacceptable.
She said any person found to have deliberately poisoned animals using agricultural chemicals to make “homemade” baits may face penalties of up to six months’ jail and fines of more than $14,000 under laws relating to wildlife and cruelty to animals, and up to $11,682 for an individual, and $23,364 for a corporation under agricultural and chemicals legislation.
