Deadly Bird Bath
What an awful sight. Thousands of dead birds, I mean, maybe as many as 10,000 are scattered across the pristine beaches of southern Georgian Bay, from the tourist mecca of Wasaga Beach west to Collingwood and north east to Penetang. They are diving-type birds that feed on bait fish. Long tail ducks, Grebes and Loons. 
As a resident of the region, I have seen fish and fowl wash up on the shore before and I’m familiar with the seasonal “sea change temperatures” that can cause these incidents – but Jeez Louise, I’ve never seen anything like this before , nor has anyone else. Which is why residents were alarmed this weekend over the lack of local or provincial government presence on the beach.
The situation started to developed a few weeks ago when bottom-feeding Sturgeon began to wash up. The species is already considered endangered with a strict ban on fishing for them imposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. There were more than 100 Sturgeon killed by what the ministry suspects is a naturally-occurring case of e- botulism that accumulates in zebra mussels, which act as a filter for the lake water. The ministry suspects it is the same toxin that is killing the birds after eating the fish. The Ministry also confirms that the botulism toxin will clear naturally when the waters get colder and that the water is perfectly safe , the toxin is confined to the carcass.
It would have been really reassuring to residents and tourists, who are still strolling the beaches around Wasaga, if somebody in some official capacity showed up to calm the concerns of people who were shocked, and in some cases, terrified that something very deadly was lying at their feet and was about to spread into the rest of the food chain. Not a soul was around, leaving residents to share their revulsion with each other.
To make matters worse, those residents who live along so-called private strips of beach (meaning not under jurisdiction of townships) were told (when they inquired) that they would have to remove the carcasses themselves, that the township had no responsibility to do so. Residents of Tiny Township were instructed by email to be cautious of the carcasses, to keep pets away and to wear rubber gloves and face masks when touching or disposing of them.
Now, if these carcasses are dangerous enough to warrant that kind of protection, why the hell wouldn’t public health officials be on the scene for the cleanup, regardless of who manages the land? The Township may not have a legal responsibility to clear the carcasses from so-called private beaches, but doesn’t it seem under the circumstances that it has a moral responsibility do so?
The instruction to residents is to place the diseased carcasses into green garbage bags and to haul them over to designated roadside locations where regular township garbage would be picking it up. Do you have any idea how much a green garbage bag of dead diving birds weighs?, about 50 pounds or more. Not only can the average resident not carry that kind of weight without a mechanical aid (we are talking hundreds of birds), but most of the residents outside of Wasaga are seasonal and not even around to do the clean up even if they were inclined to pitch in. My sense from townships like Tiny is that those carcasses are staying on the beaches if the residents don’ t clear them out themselves.
You have to wonder what kind of other wildlife will feed on those carcasses left decaying on the beach — seagulls, fox, raccoon or coyote? Will the botulism toxin they ingest kill them too as they limp back into the bush to die? Dunno, but obviously the Township of Tiny is prepared to risk the possibility or is slam-dunk sure that the toxin that killed the birds cannot be transferred to other wild life or that other wild life can withstand the infection. Why else would the council not be holding an emergency meeting to authorize a clean up crew from emergency funds to deal with what looks very much like a potential public and wildlife health emergency.
Government ( no matter what the level ) is at its best, when it recognizes an emergency and shows leadership. It’s at its worst when it puts its own head in the sand while shirking one of its only real responsibilities.
Me thinks the latter is at play here. Good God I hope I’m wrong.