Hi all
A few months ago we retrieved the body of a freshly-killed pelican from
a street here in Roma. It had been electrocuted after hitting powerlines
adjacent to a pond - the scorch marks were obvious on the feathers. As
Phillip V points out, to short-circuit and therefore fry yourself, you
have to be big enough to contact two wires. This seems to only happen to
big birds - I've seen similar fatalities in pelicans, black swans and
brolgas elsewhere. A common thread in their demise was that the birds
appeared to have hit the lines while approaching or taking off from
adjacent water bodies.
PS. The comment about two wires only applies to the 'domestic' supply
lines. The big, cross-country 11KV transmission lines are much more
dangerous, as a bloke who climbed one and then urinated from the top
found out - KAPOW!!!
Richard
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+----------------------------------------+
Richard Johnson
Roma District
Tel: (07) 4622 4266 Fax: (07) 46 22 4151
E-mail:
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