Pigeons poisoned: A murder mystery case

NOT everybody likes pigeons, and readers now drawing pensions probably still remember the Tom Lehrer song.

But in Elda, someone really was poisoning pigeons in the park, and at least 50 birds were found dead in the town’s green areas and public gardens last March.

The case was then referred to the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Unit (Seprona). Three of the dead birds were sent to the Department of Toxicology and Veterinary Pathology at Murcia University and analyses revealed that they were poisoned with methomyl.

This pesticide is highly toxic to humans, animals, and particularly birds.

The pigeons had eaten corn, oats and bread before they died and the investigators believe that this was laced with methomyl.