FDNY and NYPD Roosevelt Island Hazardous Material Investigation This Evening - Dead Squirrels and White Powder Found On Southtown Riverwalk Buildings Lawn
Image of FDNY Hazardous Material Squad Responding to Roosevelt Island Incident This Evening
Earlier this evening a Roosevelt Island resident (UPDATE - who is also a licensed NYS Wildlife animal rehabilitator) spotted a dead squirrel and white
as well as another dead squirrel head down on a tree.
(UPDATE 7/24 - There were 3 dead squirrels in total)
She called 911 and Roosevelt Island Public Safety followed by FDNY and NYPD responded
including the FDNY Hazardous Materials Unit.
Also, the NYC Office Of Emergency Management arrived later in the evening.
There was concern that the white
The FDNY roped off the area with caution tape,
examined the dead squirrels and lawn area,
took a sample from the lawn and squirrel
and began testing to determine what was the substance on the lawn.
Preliminary results of the tests, which still need to be confirmed, indicated the substance found on the lawn was arabinic acid.
The area was then cordoned off awaiting the appropriate personnel to remove the squirrels.
Will have more on this incident as information becomes available.
60 comments :
If this was done on purpose, it is vile and disgusting. I can understand if people don't love animals, but to hate them so much as to poison them is evil. Those little ones were so familiar to me, I am heartsick at this, whatever the source of it.
Yes, the Island is overrun with squirrels, but there must be a safer and less horrible way to get rid of them. I am not condoning poisoning, but at the very least, if it was on purpose residents should be informed, in advance, of such things.
Why do you come to the conclusion that those squirrels were poisoned? AFAIK, arabinic acid is occurs naturally in plants and is actually used in making chewing gum. That stuff did not kill anybody or anything.
Any targeted mass killing of animals should be banned as there are now multiple examples of the wrong animals being killed. Instead, RIOC and the management companies of buildings, their maintenance crews and landscape companies (who are not professional exterminators) must stop spraying: the statements that the chemicals they use are "safe for children and pets" is blatant hogwash. Do they want us to believe that it is okay for children to play on the lawns after they have been sprayed? If that is the case, then prove it and bring their own kids and dogs to play there after spraying with these chemicals!
Further, RIOC and PSD have steadfastly refused to do anything to prevent the pests from populating. Signs should be placed in all public areas warning people not to feed pigeons, squirrels or other animals. There needs to be a public awareness campaign, including articles in the WIRE, signs at the subway, playgrounds and tram, and posters on all the kiosks, and if need be even implementing fines when people care caught feeding pigeons and squirrels. The awareness campaign should also address the danger of diseases carried by pigeons and include photos, such as in Motorgate, of the mess and destruction caused by pigeon droppings.
Finally, all the restaurants, food trucks and groceries, including Duane Reade which also sells food, must be monitored to ensure that all food wastes are properly packaged to prevent spillage and odors, and quickly removed by their waste removal companies, rather than stored for days outside where they can attract squirrels and rats.
Well, I come to the conlusion they were poisoned because 2 of them were found dead in the same general vicinity, one of them still attached to the tree trunk. It is highly unlikely that such a scenario would occur absent some outside agent. And, poisoning as a likely cause seems to have been the concern of all the city and RI agencies who spent several hours last night guarding the area. I did not come to the conclusion that arabonic acid was the culprit.
Yes, because the rat population will totally read the signs put up to control their population and immediately comply with it. I think the majority of the rest of the city has proven that this does not work, especially with the rat population (not even getting into roaches/etc) and given their potential impact on public health, then it is import and needed to control their population by means of poison and trapping.
The signs are for humans. With signs in place then enforcement can take place.
Just because they died near eachother doesn't mean they were poisoned in that spot. They could have ingested the poison elsewhere and came home and just died there.
These squirrels (and rats) run all over the place. I feel badly they died, but there are way too many of them running around this island. We need to get rid of them.
While we're at it... the pidgeons and the geese too. They poop all over the island, and that can't be healthy for the kids to play on the grass with poop all over the place.
Some people will only be happy when all traces of nature are eradicated and we can all live in our hermetically sealed boxes and stare at concrete and steel. I guess it's obvious I am not one of these. These animals (the squirrels and geese) are not hurting you or yours and most assuredly we do NOT need to "get rid" of these intelligent and interesting creatures. I venture to say that all of us have contracted far more illnesses through contact with our fellow human beings than have gotten sick because there are a few squirrels around. Go into any public restroom and tell me that isn't so, for starters.
I really see nothing wrong with feeding the pigeons or the squirrels. It would be very strange to walk around and see no birds in the sky, no squirrels in the grass. How about let's clean the pigeon droppings instead of opting to starve them to death or poison them...Motorgate is is a mess because it's never been cleaned.
You missed my (satirical) point - posting up signs won't do anything as one can see from anywhere else in the city that has signs up to this effect. The only thing that works against say the rat population is traps, baiting, etc. I servilely doubt they are going to care if people are feeding them at benches - they can find there food pretty much anywhere and everywhere.
I pointed out elsewhere that what looks like arabinic acid, can be other chemicals, due to the limitations of the measurement process, equipment, and software.
The HazMat Chief said there was about an 80% match, but they needed a 90% level to feel confident. See "Mistaken Identity and the Totality of Circumstances, Integration for Hazardous Response Teams Conference", at "http://www.adph.org/ALPHTN/assets/LumanHandouts.pdf".
On page 6 it talks about detection (FTIR Spectra and Interpretation).
On page 7 it explains how it scores a match, which is what the HazMat
Chief was talking about. Take a look at pages 9-10 (Dead Birds at
Subway), including one of the detected materials was arabinic acid, but
later on determined to be a pest control chemical.
If there isn`t enough food for the pigeons maybe you can take them home and feed them.
I find it implausible that the animals, through various paths, differing distances, and differing times of travel, would have contacted poison elsewhere, then all arrived at the same spot dead. More plausibly, they were poisoned nearby and died quickly, i.e., the reason why NYPD, FDNY, and HazMat cordoned off the area and did testing.
I grew up in suburbia with about the same number of squirrels. For a place with lots of open space (something residents go rabid about losing), we should expect animals to cohabit.
These particular squirrels were very beautiful black squirrels, something I hadn't seen before. I'm sorry they're gone.
Maybe you could monitor all the things you are complaining about. You sound like a person who really cares.Why don`t you start a monitoring group instead of yapping.
What about page 8.
If you read the whole document, you'll see that page 8 was not relevant to the point at hand. Thus, I did not cite it.
Check again page 8 is relevant. Evidently you missed some important facts which minimized your conclusion.
The problem with feeding pigeons (and any wild animals) is that it makes them dependent on humans and more aggressive. You can see this in action if you try to eat on any of the benches lining the water, in front of Starbucks, or by the playground where people regularly feed the birds. They now swarm you expecting food. Also, the food most people feed them isn't good for them and can create health problems. Trust me, birds and squirrels are not going to die out if humans stop feeding them Ritz crackers. You are doing them more harm than good.
Frank - Ignore sisco. He's again trying to undermine the blog with nonsensical comments. No point taking anything he says even a tad seriously.
RIOC needs to post signs if it is putting down rat poison in any park on RI, because the few parks we have are so heavily used by the population. If I am not mistaken, the City posts signs in City parks when they put down rat poison, and signs are even posted in subway tracks warning of rat poison when it is applied. RI residents need to know exactly where the poison is placed so that children and pets are not permitted to use those park areas. The City policy of posting signs advising of rat poison application should be extended to RIOC. I have a feeling that the 2 dead squirrels were unintentional rat poison victims and not part of some kind of squirrel abatement program. The squirrel population on RI is not excessive, as far as I can tell, and the few squirrels usually scampering around the Southtown lawn never number more than 2 or 3. So it's unlikely squirrels were the target of a "pest" abatement program as they are not that numerous. Be that as it may, assuming RIOC had put down rat poison in the general area of Southtown or even, although it's hard to conceive they would have done such a thing, on the Southtown lawn itself to control the rat population, it would have been incredibly, possibly criminally, risky of RIOC not to have at least posted signs if not go through a process of ensuring residents are completely made aware of the rat poison application in that area since the lawn by Southtown is heavily used by residents and their children. We all know little kids touch everything and then invariably put their fingers in their mouths -- God forbid any kid had gotten even near the rat poison. And dogs are in the same general category - they could have picked up the rat poison on their paws and at some point ingested it. A simple thing RIOC could have done would be to put a fence around the lawn with prominent signs posted on it advising that the area has been treated with rat poison - then the entire lawn would have been clearly off limits to residents. If RIOC had a heart, and had been extra considerate and humane about innocent animals it probably had no intention of exterminating, it could have called in a wildlife rehab specialist to temporarily transfer the lawn's "resident" squirrels to another area of the island for the duration of the rat poison application, to be returned once the lawn was again safe for both humans, pets, and wildlife.
Just stepping in here to say: Though I enjoy their presence, I don't feed the birds, except by accident, but will give unsalted peanuts to squirrels. Trust me, I am doing them no harm. While it's a fact that feeding animals indiscriminately can be harmful, even fatal to them, it is also something that those who really don't care for animals rely upon to make their point; my point is, I do know and love animals and would always take care to research what is good or bad for them if I didn't know already. I grew up in the country; one of my fondest memories is of feeding peanuts to our local (in our yard) squirrels with my dad. Among other things, I think of him when I hand out a few peanuts here, and that is a good thing for me.
To another commenter's statement, I don't agree that RI is "overrun" with squirrels either; in my general vicinity, there are about 8 to 10 squirrels I see again and again. (Yes, I recognize them.) As to charges of aggression I've seen stated elsewhere, I tend to view the same behavior as "friendly". I know there are many people on both sides of the issue. But either way, certainly I see no signs of marauding armies of squirrels stalking down hapless humans. And, if one approaches you, and the approach is unwelcome, probably making a sudden movement will scare it away. We are lots bigger and scarier than they are, imho.
Gee siscoeb, you've had the opportunity in two comment posts to enlighten us on your concerns, but you declined that opportunity.
So let's hear your explanation and share your thoughts.
I've read a good number of your other comments, all very short and either off-point, or mechanical in their response.
So my request for you to enlighten us on your concerns is itself a Turing Test. Telling you that this is a Turing Test, doesn't help you answer the question. :-)
I don't believe RIOC maintains the Riverwalk lawns (west side adjacent to service road). This question arose at the incident, the Southtown building manager said they maintain it. There was a question about the lawn maintenance company who had been there on Thursday. The building manager got in touch with the person who did the lawn, and both the FDNY Chief and the HazMat Chief spoke to him. In short, they applied no powder, no fertilizer, no pest control, and no chemicals.
I don't believe RIOC would put down rat poison without the appropriate signage. Mr. Martinez has children and dogs, I'm certain he understands the hazards and would not put down poison without the appropriate precautions.
I think we should wait for the report on what killed the squirrels, then proceed from there.
Well even I could make a mistake unlike you I`m not perfect.
I was sickened to learn about the massacre of my favorite squirrels. They were very special with their black bodies and red tails. I talked to Mr. Fernandez today and he said there was no poisoning. I was given no other reason for their demise. I wish RIOC would hire a part-time wild life expert to monitor the well-being of these animals. How desolate the Southtown lawn looks now. I sincerely hope that someone with enough respect for all life gets to the bottom of this crime.
OMG! You're still here???
We don`t need any pigeons messing up Roosevelt Island. As far as the problem with Motorgate perhaps you can get a mop and a broom and clean it up.
I agree
I love animals but we do not need animals crapping all over our lawns. Try visiting the Bronx Zoo.
You love animals so much you think they should all be confined to zoos. OK. Got it. Thanks!
Thanks for the clarification - will await the report on what killed the squirrels.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/epi-pigeon.shtml This is a NYC gov link to the 3 diseases that are linked to pigeon droppings. Note that of the 3 diseases listed, 2 are caused by fungi that naturally grow in soil anyway (as well as on droppings) and the 3rd is a disease that can be contracted if one inhales dried droppings of a bird that has psittacosis. Cases of psittacosis are extremely rare, according to the info given on the link. The link also gives information on safely cleaning up droppings. I do not think any of the wildlife on RI - gulls, pigeons, geese, robins and other songbirds, feral cats, and squirrels, have "gotten out of hand" to the extent that their numbers need to be culled. The TA handled the pigeon roosting problem in the train station very well, and the station is now cleaned up and presentable. Perhaps RIOC could use predatory bird recordings to "evict" the birds (of various types) at Motorgate and then wash the interior of the structure (not just the windows) afterwards, just like the TA's successful and humane transformation of the train station interior. Watching the behavior and antics of the various species that inhabit the green areas and riverside of RI has always been one of charming points of RI. Imagine if RI was devoid of wildlife, like so many grimy streets of Midtown. The charm of RI is that although it is densely built up, it still retains a park-like quality, which is certainly enhanced by the presence of wildlife.
I'm with you on this Sea, and I do always have some tree-nuts, in their shells, available to toss over to squirrels if I should happen to come across them. I remember feeding squirrels peanuts as a child - our whole family fed them peanuts.. brings back fond memories..
Best to ignore sisco.. he just tries to "flame" commenters.. is basically a troll.
Try the Central Park Zoo. While you are there feed the animals.Have a good time.
How could you say something like that. I only wantswhat`s best for Roosevelt Island.I would never "flame" commenters. I just keep trolling along as in merrily we troll along troll along troll along.
Which enclosure are you in? And, would you prefer peanuts, or bananas?
peanuts
I`m sorry about the squirrels being gone also. Perhaps you can get RIRA to investigate the situation instead of yapping all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEoputkE98
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEoputkE98
This goes for squirrels, too.
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