Federal lab to examine birds believed poisoned

A federal forensics laboratory will examine the carcasses of birds believed to have been poisoned last week in Portland, Oregon, parks.

Gary Young, an investigator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says that if they were poisoned and it was intentional, the act could be prosecuted under federal law. Such prosecutions are rare.

Bob Sallinger of the Audubon Society of Portland says corn was found in the stomachs of the birds, leading him to believe they were poisoned. Witnesses said they were having seizures.

The Oregonian reports that the bodies of 30 to 40 crows and one gull were recovered Wednesday from downtown parks, along with several more from other parts of the city.

Young says the carcasses will be sent to a lab in Ashland, in southern Oregon.

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