Parakeets in Yacolt get the death sentence

YACOLT, Wash. - They have been called the biggest celebrities in Yacolt - dozens of parakeets that have been building nests on power transformers there for years.

But the parakeets are now marked birds and time is running out for them.

The nests are being taken down and three of the birds have already been euthanized as Clark Public Utilities tries to clear them out to avoid a fire hazard.

The sudden move to rid Yacolt of the birds has a lot of people up in arms.

No one is sure where the parakeets came from. It all started years ago. The birds became big celebrities, but the nests have now gotten too big and the power company says they have to go.

"So it becomes a reliability and safety issue for our customers," said Lena Wittler with Clark Public Utilities.

The power company asked the feds for help with the problem. They were told that because the parakeets were born on power transformers, they will rebuild on power transformers even if they are moved. So the only option was to euthanize them.

Clark Public Utilities said their people are following USDA standards to humanely euthanize the birds.