WHITE - State officials are saying that corn laced with insecticide has caused the deaths of hundreds of wild birds in Bartow County. <br>
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Investigators say they found a pile of corn contaminated with an insecticide commonly used to treat grubs and reduce lice infestation on cattle. State officials have sent birds to a federal lab for testing to find out exactly which insecticide is involved. <br>
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About 500 dead birds have been found so far within a half-mile of the farm in White where officials say the corn was deliberately spread around a pond, apparently as an attempt to control a nuisance wildlife problem. <br>
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A number of bird species appear to be affected, including doves, ducks, geese, red-winged blackbirds, grackle and hawks. <br>
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Officials say that cold weather and snowy, icy roads are delaying the investigation. But they think more than a thousand birds may have been poisoned. Also, any pets or wildlife that eat the poisoned birds also are in danger. <br>
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Investigators have not publicly identified the people who put out the poisoned corn. It is illegal to harm wildlife in Georgia, and whoever is responsible could face a year in prison and a one-thousand-dollar fine for each animal that dies.
