SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of black vultures circle Northern Hills Lake on the Northeast Side, drawn by numerous dead fish and ducks.
In a statement, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said it does not know what is causing the deaths of the animals.
Despite an influx of Texas cormorants in the area, TPWD said it doesn’t believe their arrival is causing the deaths.
People who live by the lake off Scarsdale Street said this has been happening for a while.
“Yes, I did, in fact, that was when summer started,” Lupe Diaz said. “Had a bunch of dead fish.”
In August, Priscilla Booker said she took her daughter down to the lake to see the ducks. A friend who accompanied them was the one who noticed something was off.
“She said that it looked diseased or sick,” Booker said.
Booker said she thought it was odd that her friend had mentioned it, since the ducks had not started dying yet.
“The ducks were the reason why we ended up over there walking towards the pond because my baby wanted to see the ducks,” Booker said. “So she looked at the ducks, and she’s like, they’re sick too. Everything over here is sick. We basically ended up walking right back home because she was angry about it.”
Jenny Rivera, who just moved to the area, said she won’t be taking her daughter to walk around the lake in the future.
“I would be risking my daughter, and I wouldn’t want to do that,” Rivera said. “So it is concerning.”
As TPWD continues investigating the cause, the department said people don’t necessarily need to avoid the area, but should not handle any sick or dead wildlife. TPWD also said visitors should avoid feeding wildlife, as this could cause them to congregate.
The department advised pet owners to ensure their animals are up to date on vaccinations when walking them in the area.
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