Michigan Lab Hopes To Solve Dorchester's Dead Bird Mystery

BOSTON (CBS) – The city of Boston is turning to a lab in the Midwest for help in solving Dorchester's dead bird mystery.

As many as 40 birds fell out of the sky on Bakersfield Street on September 8. All of them were grackles.

Inspectional Services and the Animal Rescue League of Boston have been trying for weeks to figure out what killed the birds.

They've been tested for viruses like West Nile and bacteria like salmonella, but all of those tests came back negative.

Inspectional Services told WBZ-TV's Ryan Kath Wednesday they pulled stomach content from the birds and sent it to a toxicology lab in Michigan.

It will be tested for chemical agents like avitrol, a chemical commonly used to remove pests.

In:
• Dorchester