SHARK AS DUCKS' FOOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19303, 16 April 1926, Page 20

SHARK AS DUCKS' FOOD.

SIXTEEN OF BIRDS DIE. THE OPINION OF AN EXPERT. [from our own correspondent.] SYDNEY. Anril 8. A strange occurrence is reported from the town of MurwilJumbah, ori the far north coast of New South Wales. A local farmer, spending a day fishing, had among his catch a young shark about sft. in length. Ho had hauled it 011 the river hank, with the intention of leaving it there, when a neighbour suggested that he should take it homo and boil it down for ducks' food. This advice the farmerfisherman accepted. lie fed it to his ducks and next morning he found that sixteen of them had died. As they had had no other food it was certain that the shark flesh had caused the death of the ducks. • The matter was referred to the head of the State Fisheries Department, who cleared the matetr up by' stating that prolmbly the shark had eaten something which was poisonous and, being boiled down, the poison had permeated the wholo u Another theory was that the boiling was done in some vessel that had contained rabbit poison. " Shark* flesh, the expert added, "is palatable to some people and as long as the shark is examined before using, it is harmless to Ly/f r', this Cftse appears that the shark ate something that did not , agree with the ducks."