‘Something is wrong.’ Kaimuki resident alerts agriculture officials after mystery bird deaths

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Kaimuki woman found 13 dead wild birds on her property, and now the state laboratory will be testing them for avian flu.
“This is a very strange situation where so many birds just die,” said Connie, who did not want her last name publicized.
“I was like what is going on. It’s like something is wrong over here,” she added.
On Wednesday, she found seven dead birds. On Thursday, she found two more. And on Friday, she found four.
Two of them found Friday had bloody eyes. “You see he was bleeding on both sides,” she said.
Connie has lived in Kaimuki for more than 30 years.
“I have never seen anything like this before,” she said.
The dead birds are wild zebra doves, the same types of doves that were found dead at a Wahiawa duck sanctuary, where state officials confirmed Hawaii’s first cases of avian flu.
More than 100 wild zebra doves and rescued ducks and geese either died from the deadly bird disease or were euthanized at the Wahiawa property.
Connie’s neighbor, Bruce Wong, found a dead zebra dove too.
“Something dropped out of the tree. I looked and it was a dove,” said Wong.
“When it finally looked like it died, I got a plastic bag. I picked it up, but it felt really warm. You know like when you get a fever,” he added.
Connie called the state Department of Agriculture Thursday and said she was initially told not to worry since the dove deaths may be due to changes in weather. She called back Friday and was told to bring them in.
“They want to test the birds,” said Connie.
She dropped them off at the Animal Industry Division’s veterinary laboratory specimen drop-off in Halawa. An agriculture spokesperson said the six birds that were turned in are showing signs of trauma, but not flu. There will be testing at the state laboratory in Pearl City.
It’s unknown how long results will take.
“I’m really, really kind of scared. I think they should be more vigilant,” said Connie.
The dove deaths remain a mystery and Connie has stopped feeding wild birds as she anxiously waits for results.
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