UK Edition
Mystery bird feeder causing Regent's Park's herons to inbreed, leading to deformed chicks
Herons in London's Regent's Park are inbreeding because a mystery bird feeder is discouraging them from migrating by feeding them large amounts of curried rice.
Police are tracking down the culprit, who has been dumping piles of curried rice in Regent's Park.
As a result of not migrating, the herons are interbreeding, leading to chicks being deformed.
Grey herons, which live in the Royal Park, are being fed so much curried rice they were not migrating according to a group called The Friend's of Regent's Park & Primrose Hill.
They warned last week that the birds were being fed so much curried rice they were not migrating.
It is thought that the culprit is a local restaurant owner who is attempting to reduce the amount of food it throws in the bin by feeding it to the birds.
The most recent Spring edition of The Friend's of Regent's Park & Primrose Hill newsletter states that the park's dedicated officer - Met police officer Rebecca England - was on the trail of the over-enthusiastic bird feeder.
It states: "Each royal park has a Dedicated Park Officer (DPO) whose role is to be the police eyes and ears in the park, enforcing park bye laws, including speed control and cyclist safety.
"DPO Rebecca England is the extremely dedicated new police person for Regent's Park & Primrose Hill. "She is even hunting a mystery bird feeder, who dumps huge piles of curried rice by the lake in the early mornings - which is not good for the birds!
"Feeding the birds can affect their habits - some herons have stopped migrating because they are being fed too much here, and the resultant interbreeding is leading to deformities."
Grey herons, which number around 60,000 in the UK, are mostly "sedentary birds", although some migrate to Ireland, France and Holland.
People have been keenly observing bird life in The Regent's Park since the middle of the 19th century. Despite being in the heart of the capital city it boasts an impressive list of at least 200 species of birds.
One of the park's key attractions is a Heronry which boasts over 20 nesting pairs each year and is one of the largest Grey Heron colonies in London.
Other bird species including Redwing, Mistle Thrush and Pied Wagtail can also be found in the park, although they are not reported to be affected by the mysterious rice piles.
Nick Spence, 43, a local resident, said: "Whoever is dumping all this curried rice obviously thinks they are doing something nice for the birds, but they don't need it - they have plenty of bugs and fish to eat.
"It must be someone who cooks a serious amount of rice or come from a nearby restaurant."