LYNDEN, Wash. -- More than 250 ducks found dead last week near Lynden appear to have succumbed to a fungal disease they contracted after eating moldy grain.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife veterinarian Kristin Mansfield said the birds showed clear signs of a respiratory tract infection commonly found in waterfowl.
According to Mansfield, the disease is not contagious and is unlikely to pose a risk to people who cook and eat healthy birds hunted in the area.
The dead ducks found were mostly mallards and pintails.
A Fish and Wildlife survey team in the area near Wiser Lake and the Bylsma Levee found the ducks last week.
A similar die-off occurred in the same area in 2005.
Anyone who spots a group of dead birds is asked to contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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