Problem parakeets euthanized in Washington
By David Krough and Teresa Blackman, kgw.com
YACOLT, Wash. — Authorities captured three out of some 50 parakeets said to be causing repeated power outages in the Yacolt area and euthanized them.
The birds had built nests on power poles along Twin Falls Street, Hubbard Street and E. Yacolt Road and the nests weighed so much - up to 2,500 pounds in some cases, that they led to outages. Around 15 homes have lost power due to the birds.
To add to the problem, parakeets are “imprinters,” which means they will return to an area even after their nests are destroyed and build new nests. They also breed rapidly.
That’s why authorities decided that these parakeets had to be captured and killed.
So a plan was devised to catch the birds and destroy their nests on Monday night and Tuesday morning. But authorities only managed to capture three of the birds. The rest flew away and all the nests were destroyed, according to Lena Wittler, with the Public Utility Dept.
Wittler said the Dept of Agriculture euthanized the three parakeets and would continue to monitor the area, possibly capturing more in the future when they return to try and build new nests.
Officials said other regions have experienced the parakeet problems, such as Florida, where similar methods were attempted.
Zoos will not accept the birds.
Authorities believe the Yacolt parakeets were likely pets that either got loose or were set free and then started breeding.