Reward Offered For Killer Of Exotic Birds

LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- All around the Popcorn Park Zoo on Tuesday, the same question was on everyone's lips: Who would do such a thing?

Eight exotic birds were found beaten to death in their pens, shocking zoo officials and prompting a flood of donations to a $5,000 reward fund aimed at catching the culprits.

Three emus, two rheas and two ducks were apparently bludgeoned sometime after the zoo closed Sunday and zoo workers found them about 8 a.m. Monday while making morning rounds.

A shovel, rake and section of plumbing pipe found near the animals were believed to have been used in the attacks, but police don't know whether one or more people were involved.

"I can't believe someone would do this," said zoo director John Bergmann. "It takes a really sick mind to do this."

The zoo, which was established by Associated Humane Societies to take in handicapped, orphaned, abused and unwanted animals, now has about 200 lizards, lions, ducks and other species.

The attackers would have had to jump a 5-foot perimeter fence and other chain-link fences around the pens. The rheas were in one pen, the emus in another, about 300 feet away. The ducks roamed freely near the entrance to the park.

Police Detectives Chris Cornelius and James Veltri canvassed the park Tuesday, interviewing employees and neighbors and putting in inquiries with police in surrounding towns in hopes of developing leads.

But Cornelius acknowledged that the attackers might never be caught.

The ducks may have been easy targets, but the other birds weren't.

Emus, which resemble ostriches, are about 4 1/2 feet tall and weigh about 120 pounds. Rheas, which are similar but smaller, stand about 3 1/2 feet tall and weigh 60 to 80 pounds. Both are swift runners.

"The emus are very strong birds, and so are the rheas," said Veltri, peering over the fence at one of the emu pens Tuesday. "Plus, this is their mating season and they're known to be aggressive when they're in heat."

The zoo put up a reward of $1,000 early, but a flood of calls from outraged animal lovers prompted more donations. By day's end, the reward was $5,000.

"Whoever did this, they need to have done to them what they did to those animals," said Donna Von Rentzell, 47, of Earlham, Iowa, who was visiting the zoo Tuesday. "It just breaks your heart what people can do to animals."

Three staffers were on duty Sunday, but officials said none of them saw or heard any unusual activity. Bergmann would not say whether the park was equipped with security cameras or other surveillance equipment.

Necropsies were conducted on the carcasses Tuesday, but the results weren't released.

"It'll give us the exact cause of death, although it was obvious the birds had trauma to their heads," Cornelius said.

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