Disease suspect in duck deaths

It's been one tough month for duck lovers Judy Cook and Vicki Hilden.

Sitting on a bench Tuesday near their large Arlington Heights pond, the two watched a flock of 10 ducks paddle past a single duck.

"That one is sick," Cook said, pointing to the lone duck. "He's not going to make it. The rest of them know it."

Since Aug. 9, about 20 ducks and one goose have died at the pond at the Central Park East Apartments at Central Road and Arthur Avenue.

The cause probably is avian botulism -- a paralytic disease caused by ingesting a certain type of toxin, said James McCalister, director of the village's health department.

It's painful to see.

The disease affects the ducks' nervous system by preventing impulse transmission to muscles. Birds are first unable to use their wings and legs. They also lose control of their eyelids and neck muscles. Birds with paralyzed neck muscles cannot hold their heads up and often drown.

"There is no rhyme or reason as to why it hits one pond," McCalister said.

In 1994, avian botulism killed several ducks at Lake Arlington and about 25 ducks at a Schaumburg apartment complex.

Avian botulism reaches its peak when water levels drop in late July and August. The birds contract the disease after feeding on dead organisms imbedded in the mud, said Roy Domazlicky, an urban waterfowl project manager with the Department of Natural Resources.

"Although we don't know for sure the cause of the deaths in Arlington Heights, avian botulism is very common this time of year," Domazlicky said. "The diseased duck has to be tested 24 hours after it dies, and we haven't been able to obtain a fresh specimen."

There is no immediate threat to human health from this form of botulism. The best way to prevent spreading the disease is to clean up carcasses of sick birds as soon as possible, Domazlicky said.

"It's hard to predict if more ducks will die there," he said. "The important thing is to keep the area clean."

Last month, more than 80 ducks flocked to the pond, Cook and Hilden said. Now there are less than 20.

For two weeks, the friends have watched wildlife officials carry away duck carcasses from the pond's shores. On Tuesday, Cook pointed to the latest causality in a garbage bag under a tree.

"It's devastating," she said. "I know a lot of people don't like ducks, but we do."