Lead poisoning named as cause of Port Pirie bird, flying fox deaths
Michael Loveridge has seen dead birds on walks with his dog around Port Pirie. (Supplied: Michael Loveridge)
In short:
South Australia's Department for Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) has revealed birds and flying foxes in Port Pirie are being killed by acute lead toxicosis.
Residents have reported more than a dozen sick or dead birds and flying foxes in the area within a two-month period.
What's next?
The local council is asking residents to report any more sightings of dead wildlife in the area.
Tests have confirmed wildlife found dead at Port Pirie, home of South Australia's only lead smelter, died from lead poisoning.
Warning: This story contains images that some people may find distressing.
The Environment Protection Authority said it was "unable to establish any leads as to the specific source of the acute lead toxicity" following interviews with stakeholders.
Local lead smelter operator Nyrstar issued a statement advising it was aware of the reports of wildlife deaths in the Port Pirie region.
"It is our understanding that the source of lead has not been able to be determined," the statement read.
Resident Michael Loveridge reported he had been seeing dead birds in Port Pirie, about 230 kilometres north of Adelaide, for almost six months.
"The ones I was seeing were laying all over the place," Mr Loveridge said.
Dead birds and flying foxes have been spotted all around Port Pirie in recent months. (Supplied: Michael Loveridge)
"Also into the bushes, because my little Jack Russell, he's a bit of a hunter and he likes to go into the bushes.
"We'd find them … they were already dead.
"I was just burying them all the time."
Mr Loveridge reported the deaths to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline five or six times.
Some other residents aired concerns on social media, posting pictures of dead birds and flying foxes.
Tests identify cause
When the ABC contacted the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) in September, a spokesperson said its tests had ruled out notifiable diseases, but "due to the quality [freshness] of the samples provided, no final cause of death could be determined".
Testing done by PIRSA shows the dead wildlife are being killed by acute lead toxicosis. (Supplied: Sue Manning)
But in a new statement on Thursday, PIRSA said further tests revealed the wildlife were killed by lead poisoning.
"Subsequent testing determined acute lead toxicosis as the cause of death of these animals," a PIRSA spokesperson said.
"Further analyses concluded the animals likely had direct access to a source of lead causing an acute process, rather than a slow accumulation that developed over time."
The PIRSA statement said it received about 14 reports of sick and dead birds and flying foxes in the Port Pirie area between 24 July and 14 September, 2024.
"Two lorikeets, a honeyeater and three grey-headed flying foxes were submitted for laboratory testing," the spokesperson said.
"PIRSA informed the EPA of these results."
Port Pirie has been home to an operating lead smelter for more than 130 years. (ABC News)
The Port Pirie Regional Council in August had reports of a number of dead lorikeets being found.
Mayor Leon Stephens said the issue was "something that's out of our hands".
"We're rates, roads and rubbish, we're not scientists, but we would hope PIRSA and EPA would give us more data going forward," Cr Stephens said.
He encouraged residents to always report dead wildlife sightings to the council.
"The quicker you can do that, the better it is for us," he said.
"We can get someone out there straight away to … start taking some samples."