Cook Islands Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that a team from New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries will be in Rarotonga next week to investigate the sudden death of chickens on the island.

Rarotonga residents last month raised alarm after witnessing chickens “dropping dead” with one reporting 25 dead chickens that fell from a tree next to their house.

Ministry of Agriculture which carried out preliminary investigation and preserved a dead chicken as a sample is hoping to solve the mystery behind these deaths when a team from New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries arrive here on the island for further investigation.

Tupapa resident Rod Browne, who earlier witnessed chickens falling from the tree, wobbling around and dying later, yesterday said another two chickens suffered the same fate this week.

Browne earlier said staff from the Ministry of Agriculture took a dead chicken as a sample and advised them to destroy the rest with fire.

The Ministry of Agriculture had earlier stated that they reached out to New Secretary of Agriculture Temarama Anguna-Kamana earlier said: “We have not received a formal complaint but we have reached out to our colleagues at NZ Ministry of Primary Industries Animal Health for support in identifying the cause.”

Anguna-Kamana said they would need the dead birds to be taken to the Ministry to be stored so when the team from New Zealand arrives, they can examine the birds.

“We are unable to speculate the cause of death until investigated.”