Crime & Safety

Dead Heron, Seven Ducks Found Dead at Gulfport Pond

In less than a week seven ducks and one heron have been recovered at Tomlinson Park in Gulfport. Several agencies are trying to find out why the birds are dying.

The City of Gulfport is taking the recent deaths of several animals "very seriously," according to City Manager Jim O'Reilly.

Since Wednesday, August 14, seven ducks and one heron have been found dead at the pond in Tomlinson Park.

One deceased duck is being tested by the  Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission in Kissimmee. O'Reilly said officials believe a bacterial based infection could be causing the deaths, but officials won't know for sure until all the tests are complete.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is also testing the water, according to city leaders.

“We’ve been on this since the first notification. We're waiting for that additional information," O'Reilly said. 

City Manager Jim O'Reilly says weed control was conducted on the baseball field on August 7 and the spray and treatment of water lilies in the pond took place early last week. 

O'Reilly gave councilors and community members an update about the situation during Tuesday night's regular council meeting.

Find out what's happening in Gulfportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Gulfport