Austin Center Shut Down - Dead Bird Mystery

[Gouda]

Could might've put this in the NY/NJ odorous event thread, but Austin is so far away...

Dead birds prompt Austin downtown shutdown
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/01/08/au ... index.html

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Police shut down 10 blocks of businesses in the heart of downtown Austin early Monday after dozens of birds were found dead.

Emergency workers donned yellow hazardous-material suits, and dozens of fire trucks and ambulances were parked nearby, as they began testing for any sort of environmental contaminant or gas or chlorine leaks that might have cause the bird deaths. (...)

Unrelated by miles:

Cheney is going hunting again today
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070108/ap_ ... ey_hunting

What the hell is going on today? Hmmm?

[Gouda]

Downtown Austin closed after dead birds found
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4454175.html

The closure - on the eve of the state's 80th legislative session - came after 40 to 60 carcasses were found overnight along Congress between Sixth and Eighth streets. There were no reports of humans harmed.

Police closed the main north-south route through downtown and all side streets for a block to the east and west while crews tested for environmental contaminants or gas or chlorine leaks, Austin Police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said.


(...)

Valadez said the tests will be looking for signs of poisoning or viral infections - though he said officials do not think bird flu is involved.

Heart of downtown Austin closed after bird kill
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 29892.html

Early-morning passers-by said the birds first began acting strange – wandering aimlessly in the street – and then dropping like flies.

[marykmusic]

Or maybe it's this: kill a bunch of birds then claim it's the Dreaded Bird Flu... --MaryK

[sunny]

Mack White is in Austin. He can probably keep us updated pretty thoroughly with undercovered aspects of this situation.

http://mackwhite.blogspot.com/

[posting tulpa]

Actually at this point you guys know as much as us Austinites do. Its scary, and as I said to my Mom in an email earlier "it gives me the willies....with out the Nelson. If I hear anything I will let you know.....but Alex is here too. So you may want to check his site...