[Skipton]

Definitely Not The Avian Flu!​

It's always sad to see animals and birds that have been knocked down and
killed by cars and lorries. With so many vehicles on the roads these
days it's not surprising. Researchers for the Ministry of Transport
recently found over 200 dead crows near Greater Manchester and there was
concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A bird pathologist
examined the remains of all the crows and confirmed the problem was
definitely not Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular
impacts. However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying
colours of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws.
By analysing these paint residues, it was determined that 98% of the
crows had been killed by impact with lorries, while only 2% were killed
by an impact with a car. Ministry of Transport then hired an
ornithological behaviourist to determine if there was a cause for the
disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills. The
ornithological behaviourist very quickly concluded the cause, when crows
eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn
of impending danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows
could shout "Cah", not a single one could shout "Lorry."