Animal Health and Welfare Sector investigates death of ducks in Lake Tucuruvi

A team from the Municipal Department of Environment, Health, Protection and Animal Welfare is investigating the mortality of ducks that inhabit Lake Tucuruvi, at the back of Parque Dom Pedro II and the 26 de Junho Residential Complex. This week, several birds were found dead and the bodies were collected for analysis. The suspicion of bird flu has already been ruled out.

The municipal director of Animal Health, Protection and Welfare, José Guilherme de Oliveira Junior, personally went to the lake to monitor the situation. “We collected nine ducks and the first step was to send some specimens for examinations at the Paraná Agricultural Defense Agency (Adapar), to investigate passive surveillance of nervous and respiratory syndromes for birds. Fortunately, the suspicion was ruled out,” he said.

One of the animals was prostrate and underwent necropsy, but no signs suggestive of avian influenza were found. The duck was part of a flock that lives freely in the lake, located in an urban area of ​​the municipality. According to the report, other bird species present at the site did not show signs of disease.

After Adapar’s opinion, the suspicion falls on poisoning or food poisoning, which can occur due to improper supply of food by the population that frequents the lake. “That’s why we sent other specimens for examinations at the Instituto Paranaense de Diagnósticos Veterinários IPDV (located at Rua Bahia, 4503), a partner company in Umuarama, which will be carried out courtesy of veterinarian Rita de Cássia Lima Ribeiro. We will have the results soon”, stated José Guilherme.

The municipal secretary of the Environment, Waltinho Sucupira, regretted what happened and advised the population not to feed the animals. “Ducks and other lake-dwelling birds can survive and thrive on their own. It is not necessary or recommended to give these animals food, especially processed, industrialized foods, leftover food and products that are not part of the diet, at the risk of causing poisoning and even death”, he warned.

Waltinho advises that lake visitors remain alert and inform the authorities if they notice any risk to the animals. “We will find out what happened to the ducks and take the necessary measures to ensure that no more deaths occur,” he added. The secretary ordered a complete analysis of the water in Lake Tucuruvi, like the one carried out recently in Aratimbó, to determine the environmental conditions.