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Mystery surrounding starling deaths in Anglesey
Some 300 dead starlings were found close to Llyn Llywenan, Bodedern, on Tuesday afternoon.
APHA carrying out tests to determine the most likely cause 

Hundreds of starlings have been found dead on an unclassified road in Anglesey, Wales.

According to the North Wales Rural Crime Team, approximately 300 starlings were found close to Llyn Llywenan, Bodedern, on Tuesday (10 Dec) afternoon. Most of the birds were found dead on the road, with many others in the hedges, but none in the surrounding fields.

Officers from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) seized some of the starlings for toxicology tests and a postmortem to learn how they died. However, police say they have been left baffled by the incident.

Rob Taylor, team manager for North Wales Police's Rural Crime Team, said: "I have to say at this present time it is an absolute and complete mystery to us. We've done all of the necessary checks and spoken to witnesses and we're trying to get to the bottom of it, however, we are still scratching our heads in regards to it.

"There's a few people who have come forward telling different stories in regards to it and we're just trying to tie up those pieces now to get the accurate facts. We've also sent some of the birds off for a toxicology and postmortem so I'm hoping we can get a result on that pretty soon but I would be very surprised if 300 died in one area without any of them being in the surrounding fields.”

Anyone with information about the incident, which is believed to have occurred at around 3.40 pm on Tuesday, is urged to contact the police.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.