ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - More than 150 dead black crows were reportedly found outside the Eagleton Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, leaving some to believe the birds are infected with disease or may have been victims of poisoning. An investigation is underway and some corn feed found near the dead crows could provide answers.
In recent days, it was reported that 157 dead crows were found outside the building in downtown in recent days. That number has continued to grow with daily reports of dozens of more dead birds seen on the ground.
KMOX's Kevin Killeen found what looks to be "suspicious" corn feed in the park next to the courthouse Wednesday morning, with a dead crow laying just a few feet away.
Investigators with Missouri Department of Conservation have picked up samples of the corn feed and collected two dead crows nearby. They've been sent to a lab in Georgia to find out if they were possibly poisoned or died of natural causes.
There were no signs of physical injury to the birds, such as gun shot wounds or other signs of harm.
Missouri does have a firearm crow hunting season that lasts November 1 through March 3. The World Bird Sanctuary says it's against federal law to kill American crows, which are a protected species, outside of that hunting season. And poisoning crows at anytime is illegal.
Brennan saw one dead bird himself on Tuesday and noticed a lot of bird droppings on the side walks and benches in the park just across the street from the Eagleton Courthouse. His tweets received a comment by one local man who said be saw about 50 dead crows on Sunday at Creve Coeur Lake.
Brennan says he also called an expert with Rottler Pest Control in St. Louis, but they haven't been dealing with any reports of birds dropping dead.
A recent viral video out of Mexico makes the reported situation in St. Louis seem even more strange. The disturbing clip below shows hundreds of birds simultaneously dropping from the sky. A vet in the area reportedly believes they all inhaled toxic fumes nearby:
KMOX has reached out to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to see if they're investigating the reports in St. Louis.
Avian influenza, or bird flu, has been detected in Kentucky, Virginia and Indiana, leading to concerns about disease spread.
As of Monday, the avian influenza detections do not present an immediate public health concern for humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No human cases of the avian influenza virus have been detected in the U.S.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Kentucky and Virginia to control the viral spread and depopulation was already complete in Virginia as of Monday, the USDA said. The Washington Post identified the Kentucky flock as a Tyson Foods commercial broiler flock that has 240,000 chickens. Birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.
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