PARK'S BIRDS EUTHANIZED NEWCASTLE CONFIRMED AT LOCAL ATTRACTION.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Thirty-eight birds - including an old turkey named Birdzilla - were destroyed at Hart Park this week after the devastating exotic Newcastle disease infected the historic park's barnyard attraction.

The discovery prompted U.S. Department of Agriculture agents to walk door-to-door within a kilometer (0.62 miles) of the park to test birds for the disease that has swept across the southwest United States and so far has resulted in the destruction of more than 3.1 million birds.

``It's tragic,'' said Norm Phillips, superintendent of William S. Hart Park. ``We've got little kids who want to come and see their favorite duck or turkey and they're not here any more.''

Turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese and a pheasant were euthanized late Wednesday afternoon after park employees noticed that 20-year-old Birdzilla appeared disoriented, a sign of the disease, Los Angeles County parks officials said. A wild native chukar being held by the park as evidence in a U.S. Fish and Game case was euthanized on Thursday after permission was obtained, Phillips said.

The birds had been quarantined since fall after Newcastle became a threat in Southern California, Phillips said. Uncertain whether Birdzilla was simply exhibiting signs of old age, the tom was quarantined and the Agriculture Department alerted. Blood tests confirmed the worst.

``We did everything right, but it's so communicable,'' Phillips said.

While humans can't be harmed by Newcastle, they can carry the disease for up to 72 hours if they come in contact with an infected bird, he said.

The animal pens at Hart are being stripped of straw and other materials the birds came in contact with, and then disinfected by agents of the Agriculture Department's Exotic Newcastle Disease Task Force.

Meanwhile, officials are walking door-to-door to homes and businesses, testing every bird from a canary in a cage to a chicken in a backyard pen. Federal law requires that those found to be infected be destroyed, said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the task force.

Statewide, 12,937 properties have been quarantined, including 2,312 where birds were found to be infected.

At Hart, the staff is devastated, Phillips said. The birds, along with pigs, goats, a deer and horses, have drawn youngsters and their parents to the park for decades. Children feed the animals, watch them grow and see their offspring. The entire display is closed during the disinfection process.

``The birds, they all had their little names. We've raised most of them since they were eggs,'' Phillips said. ``Birdzilla, he's been here about 20 years. He was quite a guy. We had a duck named Aflac; he had the same personality as the one in that commercial.''

The park was bequeathed to Los Angeles County by silent screen star William S. Hart, who lived in a mansion on the grounds until his death in 1946. Hart's fondness for animals inspired the county to keep live animals at the park.