The following is a copy and paste listing of animal die-offs since January of this year. It was taken from the blog, “Mystery of the Inquiry” and full credit should go to the Blog-master there.
Jan 5th, 2011-Worldwide- Agence France-Presse-The mysterious deaths of thousands of birds and fish is no longer confined to the US. About 50 to 100 dead birds were discovered on a highway in central Sweden Tuesday. Scientists don’t know what killed the jackdaws but one veterinarian suspects they may have been frightened by fireworks and then run over by a car. We have received information from local residents last night,” County veterinarian Robert ter Horst told the Swedish site The Local. “Our main theory is that the birds were scared away because of the fireworks and landed on the road, but couldn’t fly away from the stress and were hit by a car.” “We will continue to look at whether there are other theories, but then we have to do an autopsy on the birds. The birds just now are in a car on the way to a laboratory in Uppsala. We don’t know exactly what happened yet, but we will continue the investigation,” he added. The Brazillian site Parana-online noted that 100 tons of fish have turned up dead off the coast of Paraná since last Thursday. According to Google Translate, the site reported that the fish included sardine, croaker and catfish. “On Thursday we began to realize very dead fish,” Edmir Manoel Ferreira, president of the Federation of Fishermen’s Colony of Parana, said. “Only one community came to bury 15 tons. We are experiencing a very sad situation on the coast.” “We will wait to see what happened, but speculations suggest that fish may have died due to an environmental imbalance, dropping a fishing boat or leakage of chemicals,” Captain Edson Oliveira Avila, regional coordinator of Civil Defense in the Paraná region, told Paraná-
Jan 5th, 2011-Wilson County Tennessee-USA-w, more that 100 dead birds were recently found in Wilson County, causing the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to investigate. A resident notified the agency Tuesday afternoon after he spotted dozens of dead birds along Highway 70 north in Lebanon a few days ago. “It’s kind of a strange, odd thing. It plays into some of the things that have been happening in other places,” said Lt. Jim Hooper of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TWRA officials found 120 dead blackbirds in the Spring Creek area when they investigated the situation on Wednesday. We searched the adjoining fields and everywhere else, and there are no other birds except in this one very localized area,” said Hooper. “The birds have definitely been dead 5 or 6 days.
Jan 5th, 2011-Faenza Italy-There are certainly many hundreds, probably thousands, of collared dove who are dying at this moment in Faenza. They are in heaps in the flower beds, crushed by machinery in the streets, horribly hung from trees like Christmas balls. And many, many more, as told by the well-informed, are found in industrial-fenced zones. The WWF has collected more of these birds, not all already dead. A dozen, in fact, have been sent to the Center of Recovery ‘Il Pettirosso’ in Modena, where those arriving are still alive but died shortly after. Overall, a mystery. Inside the beak, in some animals, the staining was of a strange blue. What could have caused it? Both the doves collected by the Forestry and those sent by the WWF to the Center of Modena, have been delivered to the ‘Istituto Zooprofilattico’ of Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. Nobody, however, likes to deliver an opinion on this issue and for the analysis may take a week. Is it possible that the Turtledoves… have been dying of stomachache? So someone would have argued. In general, blue is a sign of hypoxia, caused for example by suffocation. The bluish tint, however, is also typical of potassium cyanide, a deadly poison used, for example, from poachers. Cyanide, however, also causes hypoxia, …. maybe a dove with an upset stomach would die suffocated. Another poison appears bluish in some types of rat poison grains. However, believing that the doves have died choking could be a faulty guess. And why only them? On the site there are only doves, but the pigeons in other places are likely to eat the same seed mesh that certain industries stack up around Faenza? So why they do not die from choking too?
Jan 5th, 2011-Sweden- A large number of dead birds were found in the city of Falkoping, Sweden, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to a press release on the website of the Swedish National Veterinary Institute. Autopsies were peformed on five of the birds. The institute said they died due to “sudden, hard external blows,” according to the press release. They had no signs of infection or other illnesses, and there were no external signs indicating what killed them. “We have determined that the birds have died from severe internal bleedings caused by external blows,” said the Institute’s Marianne Elvander.
Jan 5th, 2011-Chesapeake Bay USA-Biologists see no indication that water quality or pollution played a role in death of 2 million spot fish. It could be two weeks before state officials know for certain what killed an estimated 2 million fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Or, they may never find out the exact cause. Biologists with the Maryland Department of the Environment sent tissue samples from the fish, mostly juvenile spot 3- to 6-inches long, to state labs to pinpoint the reason they died. But for now, they believe a rapid drop in temperature in December caused cold-water stress, said MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus. Stoltzfus said there are no indications that water quality or pollution contributed to the kill, but the tissue samples will be analyzed for contaminants. Samples also will be sent to the Department of Natural Resources for bacteria analysis. However, she cautioned that “most, if not all, of the fish may be too decomposed to expect meaningful results.” The bay’s surface water temperature late last month – 32.9 degrees–was the coldest in 25 years, according to state records. Historical lows were recorded at 13 locations on the bay, from the mouth of the Elk River to Rock Hall and Kent Island to Point Lookout. Spot have little tolerance for temperatures below 35.6 degrees.
Jan 6th, 2011-South Carolina-A nationwide scare involving mass deaths of fish and birds has now hit ground locally. A giant fish kill has occurred at Folly Beach, and according to a report by The Post and Courier, one standing at the end of the pier can see a seemingly never ending line of dead fish in both directions. Officials with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have confirmed that thousands of dead fish washed ashore behind the former Holiday Inn at Folly Beach and say the fish are all of the same species — Menhaden. “We’re still waiting to see if DNR can come up with some kind of a clue as to why this happened.” Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin said. If the Fish are not washed away by the tide, Folly Officials will be responsible for the clean up. Bill Troy was out for his morning jog when he noticed thousands of the silver sided fish washed up on the shore.
Jan 6th, 2011-Florida-What’s more depressing than 2 million dead baby fish? Try 279 floating manatees – and not floating in the good way. Florida officials are blaming the manatee deaths of last year on “cold chill,” the same weather condition that Maryland scientists think was responsible for the recent huge fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay. The frigid waters also killed 21 manatee newborns. Adding in the deaths due to cold, a total of 767 manatees perished in Florida in 2010. It was the deadliest year on record for the canal-cows, a state veterinarian. Manatees suffering from the extreme cold don’t seem to expire in a forgiving numbness. Says the AP: [I]f they don’t find warm water, lesions form on their body, similar to frostbite. The animals die from infection stemming from weakened immune systems or hypothermia, DeWit said.
Jan 6th, 2011-Arkansas and Beyond-The last four months of 2010, nearly 500 earthquakes rattled Guy, Arkansas. The entire state experienced 38 quakes in 2009. The spike in quake frequency precedes and coincides with the 100,000 dead fish on a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River that included Roseville Township on December 30. The next night, 5,000 red-winged blackbirds and starlings dropped dead out of the sky in Beebe. Hydraulic fracturing is the most likely culprit for all three events, as it causes earthquakes with a resultant release of toxins into the environment. A close look at Arkansas’ history of earthquakes and drilling reveals a shocking surge in quake frequency following advanced drilling. The number of quakes in 2010 nearly equals all of Arkansas’ quakes for the entire 20th century. The oil and gas industry denies any correlation, but the advent of hydrofracking followed by earthquakes is a story repeated across the nation. It isn’t going to stop any time soon, either. Fracking has gone global. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) pumps water and chemicals into the ground at a pressurized rate exceeding what the bedrock can withstand, resulting in a microquake that produces rock fractures. Though initiated in 1947, technological advances now allow horizontal fracturing, vastly increasing oil and gas collection. In 1996, shale-gas production in the U.S. accounted for 2 percent of all domestic natural gas production, reports Christopher Bateman in Vanity Fair. “Some industry analysts predict shale gas will represent a full half of total domestic gas production within 10 years.” In 2000, U.S. gas reserve estimates stood at 177 trillion cubic feet, but ramped up to 245 tcf in 2008. These new technologies prompt experts to increase global gas reserve estimates ninefold.
Jan 6th, 2011-Sweden-Officials investigating the mysterious deaths of up to 100 birds on a road in Sweden say tests have revealed they suffered external injuries. Dozens of jackdaws were found in the centre of Falkoeping prompting comparisons with the mysterious deaths of 3,000 birds in the US. Sweden’s National Veterinary Institute said it had tested five of the birds and found evidence of traumatic injury.
Jan 7th, 2011-Nine incidents of mass animal deaths across globe-Blue stain believed to be sign of poisoning or hypoxia – lack of oxygen that is precursor to altitude sickness
Cold weather and overbreeding blamed for deaths of two 2million fish in Chesapeake Bay
Disease behind deaths of 100,000 fish in Arkansas River
At least nine incidents of mass animal deaths across the globe
Hundreds of confused birds plummeted to their deaths in multiple locations in the U.S.
Rapid movement of Magnetic North Pole towards Russia may have caused bird deaths
Thousands of dead turtle doves rained down on roofs and cars in an Italian town in the latest in a growing spate of mass animal deaths across the globe. Residents in Faenza described the birds falling to the ground like ‘little Christmas balls’ with strange blue stains on their beaks. Initial tests on up to 8,000 of the doves indicated that the blue stain could have been caused by poisoning or hypoxia.
Jan 7th, 2011- Canada-Quebec-Montreal – More than 80 pigeons have keeled over and died at a farm near Quebec City for unknown reasons, the latest in a string of mysterious animal deaths around the world.
Jan 7th, 2011-Lake Meredith-Lubbock Texas USA-A mass fish kill that prompted Lubbock officials to add a chemical to city water was being blamed on a toxic algae bloom – and certainly not being connected to recent reports of mass animal deaths around the country, officials said Thursday. Between 10,000 and 20,000 gizzard shad were found dead last week in Lake Meredith, prompting Lubbock officials to continue adding a chemical to Lubbock water to prevent a possible fishy odor from reaching Hub City faucets. The fish kill triggered state officials to investigate the mass deaths. The likely culprit: golden algae, a water-dwelling organism that, under certain conditions, can release a toxin fatal to fish, said Charlie Munger, a district supervisor for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Munger said low water levels at Lake Meredith likely increased salinity and PH levels in the dwindling lake. That chemical imbalance, along with cold temperatures, likely was enough to affect the algae’s ability to survive and trigger its defense mechanism – releasing toxin to kill other organisms to provide nutrients.
Jan 8th, 2011- Bangalore-Iblur Lake-In what is seen as a case of civic negligence, thousands of fish have been found dead mysteriously at Iblur Lake near HSR Layout. Narayana, the licensed contractor for the fish in the lake, blamed untreated sewage water from several residential areas in Bellandur Gate as the cause of the deaths. He alleged that the sewage water is sent to the drain without treating, thus depleting the oxygen level of the lake water. “I have already suffered huge losses thrice and though I complained to BBMP officials of Bellandur and HSR wards, no action has been initiated so far. The officials are inefficient and we are the ones who incur the loss,” said Narayana. The park by the lake, which once had people frequenting it, now wears a deserted look. Visitors say the foul smell emanating from the lake is getting worse by day and spoiling the mood and environment that persisted in the lake a few years ago.
Jan 8th, 2011- Australia-Ten billion litres of environmental water will be released into the lower Goulburn River in a bid to clean up the river and protect native fish, the Department of Sustainability and Environment said yesterday. But locals say the move is too little too late. People at Mildura and Robinvale are reporting fish up to 1m floating belly up down the river and crayfish climbing up river banks to breathe. Jodie Ross, who runs the general store in Wemen, southeast of Mildura, said the black water started in Swan Hill and reached Wemen on New Year’s Day. She said the dying fish were a devastating sight for river communities. “We are seeing hundreds of dead fish floating by and even the live ones are coming up to the top as though they are very weak,” she said. Ms Ross said the river bank was lined with dead shrimp and yabbies
Jan 8th, 2011-Folly Beach– The fish kill was Gene Nelson’s opportunity to scoop up free fertilizer. Nelson arrived early Friday to collect buckets of dead menhaden, filling three or four loads of the finger-length fish. He plans to bury them as tree feed ahead of planting season. “You’ve got to put them in the ground right away,” said Nelson, of North Charleston, who wore rubber gloves as he bent over on his hands and knees pulling loads in. Nelson wasn’t the only scooper on site. Down the beach, work crews hired by the city of Folly Beach used shovels and heavy duty earth-moving equipment to clean a mile-and-a-half stretch of thousands of stinking menhaden carcasses that had washed ashore earlier this week. Officials expect the work to be all done by today, at a cost of between $5,000 and $6,000. While state wildlife officials said the die-off appears to be a product of the recent cold and lower sea temperatures, some locals said there is reason to be concerned about stress on the ocean’s environment.
Jan 10th, 2011-Sonoma County- USA-While scientists and specialists are investigating why massive numbers of birds have dropped dead from the sky elsewhere in the country, Sonoma County now has its own bird deaths mystery to solve, reported the CHP. More than 100 birds were found dead Saturday afternoon clustered on the ground off of Highway 101, south of Geyserville, Officer Jon Sloat reported Monday. Officers responded to Independence Lane at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and found dozens of birds dead on and around the roadway. The California Department of Fish and Game was notified and a local warden responded. He took several of the birds away to be identified and tested by a biologist, Sloat said. The birds all appeared to be the same type, small with feathers in brown and black, according to photos taken by officers. The birds hadn’t been shot and most were intact, officers reported. What caused the deaths wasn’t clear Saturday.
Jan 10th, 2011-Turkey-In n Turkey, there was a case of an unexplained mass deaths of birds. Dead starlings found residents of the county Karacabey in Bursa province. On the road were dozens of carcasses of birds. Promptly reported the incident to local authorities launched an investigation of the incident. Experts are currently conducting the necessary tests. However, while they failed to establish the cause of death of starlings According to ITAR-TASS news agency, according to one version, the flock of birds could crash a few heavy-duty trucks, marching one after another. On the unexplained mass death of birds, the world’s media began reporting on New Years Eve, when about 4 thousands of blackbirds fell dead near the small town Biib in Arkansas. Later, similar cases occurred in Louisiana and Kentucky. Also, incidents of mass deaths of birds have been recorded in Canada, Sweden and Italy. On the unexplained mass death of birds, the world’s media began reporting on New Years Eve, when about 4 thousands of blackbirds fell dead near the small town Beebe in Arkansas. Later, similar cases occurred in Louisiana and Kentucky. Also, incidents of mass deaths of birds have been recorded in Canada, Sweden and Italy.
Jan 11th, 2011-Chicago USA-A bizarre scene is evolving on the Chicago lakefront, with Canada geese and mallard ducks gulping down dead or dying gizzard shad. A major die-off of what appears to be the 2010 class is happening in Chicago harbors. Thousands, perhaps far more than that, of dead gizzard shad in the 3- to 5-inch range are frozen in the ice of Chicago harbors or floating around in open patches of water. “Gizzard shad are pretty sensitive,” Lake Michigan Program biologist Dan Makauskas said. “On the toughness scale, the herrings are pretty soft.” Gizzard shad, members of the herring family, are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than most fish. And thick ice came early to Chicago harbors in December. The massive die-off was first documented Thursday by Carl Vizzone, a North Side fisherman who sits on the board of Perch America. What caught his eye was Canada geese and mallards eating dying shad at open water by DuSable and Diversey harbors. “This is not normal,” he said. He’s right, agreed naturalist Joel Greenberg, author of A Natural History of the Chicago Region. Canada geese and mallards normally don’t eat fish, but, Greenberg said, “They are opportunistic.” Other species of fish do not appear to be involved in the die-off. Makauskas, who speculated that the young shad may not have built up enough reserves to survive the early onslaught of extreme cold, agreed the die-off is abnormal.
Jan 11th, 2011-Dead birds and dead fish events are happening again today. Dead birds are found along the highway in California and thousands of dead fish are surfacing along Chicago’s lakefront. The birds were found along Highway 101 in California, according to the Huffington Post, the birds were intact with no sign of being shot. In Chicago, thousands of Gizzard Shad, a member of the herring family, are floating in Chicago’s harbors. A strange twist to the dead fish in Chicago is that the Canadian Geese and mallard ducks are feeding off these dead fish, which is not a normal part of these bird’s diet.
Jan 11th, 2011-Missouri USA-Dozens of dead birds are discovered near Sullivan, Missouri about an hour southwest of St. Louis. People in and around Sullivan are calling the whole thing a little weird. The scene is just east of Sullivan along the I-44 south service road at Winsel Creek. The Missouri Department of Conservation is looking into the situation. It was discovered on Monday. Experts there and with the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park say the dead birds are Starlings. Starlings are among the dead birds that have been found in several other states recently. It started new years when thousands of Red Winged Blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas.
Jan 12th, 2011-Manchester-The bizarre spate of mass animal deaths around the world has continued, with hundreds of fish found dead in a Greater Manchester pond. Experts say the freezing weather caused the deaths, which follow reports of scores of birds falling to their deaths in the US, thousands of fish found floating off the Florida coast and 40,000 devil crabs washing up in Kent. The internet has been awash with conspiracy theories over the mysterious mass deaths but there is nothing sinister about the latest discovery as 500 fish – many thought to be large bream and pike – were simply found frozen in an icy pond.
Jan 12th, 2011-Los Angeles USA-Los Angeles – It’s no secret that City Hall has its share of vermin, but up until now it was mostly limited to the two-legged variety. The situation has reportedly deteriorated to the point that officials have purchased electronic devices known as “rat zappers” designed to trap and kill the rodents.
Jan 12th, 2011-Alabama-Just south of Athens, near mile marker 347, there were around 300 dead blackbirds just off the side of the northbound lanes.
Jan 12th, 2011-UK-A beach has been closed after the discovery of a mysterious substance. An “unidentified foam-like substance” has been found along part of the southern coastline, causing Chichester District Council to close East Wittering beach until further notice. Beaches controlled by West Wittering Estate and Cakeham Manor have also been closed. A council spokesperson said: “We are closing the beach as a precaution. The unidentified foam-like substance was discovered earlier today. The Environment Agency has taken samples to test. We should know the outcome of these tests within the next 48 hours. “Following this time, we will decide on what action to take.”
Jan 12, 2011-Bali Beach-Pair of dolphins found dead.
Jan 12th, 2011-Port Waikato-New Zealand-5 Whales stranded only one floated back to sea.
Jan 12th, 2011-A virus has killed millions of crickets raised to feed pet reptiles and those kept in zoos. The cricket paralysis virus has disrupted supplies to pet shops across North America as a handful of operators have seen millions of their insects killed.
Jan 13th, 2011-Canada-Large numbers of sockeye salmon are dying in the Fraser River, before spawning, because of a mysterious virus, new research suggests. 70 per cent of the salmon that died before spawning.
Jan 14th, 2011-Caspian Sea-Mass fish death was recorded in the Iranian sector of the Caspian Sea,” Iranian Gulistan Province’s Nature Conservation Department Deputy Head Mohsen Jafarnejad said. Mass death of fish in the Caspian Sea is recorded on the west coast of the Gulistan Province. A large number of dead mullet have washed ashore, Shomalnews.com reported.
Jan 14th, 2011-UK-strange substance found on Bournemouth shore is similar to that washed up on Hayling Island beaches. The bright yellow foam, which tests reveal is 80 per cent castor oil, caused several beach closures in Hampshire and Sussex.
Jan 14th, 2011-Queensland-Bull sharks spotted swimming down the main street in Goodna-30km from the coast.
Jan 15th, 2011-Vietnam-7,000 Buffalo and cows freeze to death.
Jan 15th, 2011-Wisconsin USA-200 Dead cows found on farm in Stockton, Wisconsin.
Jan 16th, 2011-Australia-Investigations are underway into the cause of a fish kill in Jervis Bay. About 70 different species have been washed up on the shore line around Honeymoon Bay and Bindijine. Among the kill were groper, flathead, stingrays and sea horses.
Jan 17th-2011-New Zealand-Mourning Dolphin Carries Dead Calf Around Harbor!!! Strange!
Jan 17th, 2011-Labrador-People on the north coast of Labrador say scores of dead seals have been washing ashore since early December.
Jan 17th, 2011-Romania-Hundreds of dead or agonizing crows have brought terror to a town in the Eastern part of Romania. Since Saturday, the locals of Roman, a town of 80.000 people, have noticed that hundreds of crows fell to the ground dead or in agony in one of the local parks. On Monday, dozens of birds were struggling with death, unable to fly. Local experts suspect that the crows may have been poisoned, but no verdict can be given before a forensic study is conducted. Some three dozens starlings have also been found dead in Constanţa, by the Black Sea, in Romania, on January the 8th. Veterinarians concluded that the starlings died of cold and alcohol intoxication.
Jan 18th, 2011-Mayport, Florida — Bird experts in Jacksonville are trying to figure out what killed a dozen pelicans in Mayport and sickened more than 100 others.
Jan 18th, 2011-Jacksonville USA-Hundreds of Eastern brown pelicans, some with missing wings and frostbite, have been injured or killed in the St. Johns River the past couple of weeks in the Mayport area.
Jan 18th, 2011-Canada-Ottawa – The Globe and Mail published the following story. Carleton Professor Steven Cooke was one of the 15 scientists involved in this research. He developed the biopsy technique that enabled the collection of non-lethal tissue samples from fish. His lab was involved with fish tagging and tissue collection in the wild. Mysterious infection is killing B.C. salmon-Large numbers of sockeye salmon are dying in the Fraser River, before spawning, because of a mysterious virus, new research suggests. Historical records show that some fish always die en route to their spawning beds, but since the early 1990s the problem has become increasingly acute – with more than two million fish dying in some years. Researchers have long puzzled over what was causing the seemingly healthy fish to suddenly stop swimming and turn belly up.
Jan 18th, 2011-Michigan USA-More bald eagles dying on Michigan roads.
Jan 18th, 2011-Yankton, USA-It is estimated that more than 200 dead starlings were found in downtown Yankton Monday. However, it is not believed the deaths pose a threat to humans.
Jan 19th, 2011-Moldova-Wolves have returned to the territory of Moldova after 40 years of their absence, with more than 20 predators seen in several areas of the country.
Jan 19th, 2011-Scottsboro, Alabama-More dead birds are found, this time in a suburban Scottsboro neighborhood. A sample of 15 birds was sent to Auburn University. The remainder were picked up and discarded. Officials say this could just be something that happens naturally in nature. It was Monday afternoon around 1:00pm along Morning Glory and Golden Rod Drives that the dead blackbirds were found. Many dead blackbirds.” We estimate between 50 and 100,” said Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Victor Manning.
Jan 20th, 2011-Dacono, Colorado – Colorado is now on the list of states where birds are mysteriously dying. Reporter Stacia Shane sent in pictures of dozens of dead birds she found on I-25. The birds were found near Dacono. More than one hundred birds were found and most of them were under trees.
Jan 20th, 2011-UK-New figures show populations of farmland birds at record low, with woodland birds also experiencing a 24% decline. Some farmland birds, such as the grey partridge, turtle dove, starling, tree sparrow, corn bunting and yellow wagtail have declined by over 70% over the period of official monitoring based on annual surveys of breeding sites and other data relating to 121 species. But wood pigeon and jackdaw populations have doubled and stock dove and greenfinch numbers risen by 50%.
Jan 20th, 2011-It’s not the “aflockalyptic” fallout from a secret US weapon lab as some have theorized. But the government acknowledged Thursday that it had a hand in one of a string of mysterious mass bird deaths that have spooked residents in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, South Dakota, and Kentucky in the last month.
Jan 21st, 2011-Detriot USA-Residents in Riverside are concerned about what they say is a major fish kill in the Detroit River. Andre Mailhot was out walking his Jack Russell terrier in Alexander Park – a municipal park that runs along Riverside Drive roughly between Strabane and George Avenues – on Tuesday when he saw “thousands and thousands” of dead fish floating in the water.
Jan 21st, 2011-Dozens of buffalo on a Sempronius farm have died mysteriously over the last four months, and veterinary examinations provide no clue to what happened. “We’re going nuts down here trying to figure out what’s going on,” farm owner Peter Head said. “This is going to put me out of business.” Beginning in October, the buffalo have been dying off sporadically – as many as six on some days. Of the original 110 animals, 55 have died, including 17 of 23 calves and many of the older animals, Head said. “They just stand around like they have stomach cramps,” Head said of the sick buffalo. “Like something’s bothering them on the inside.”
Fri, 21 Jan 2011-One of 25 pilot whales that died after beaching themselves in the sand at Spirits Bay, New Zealand.
Wellington – New Zealand conservation officials on Friday euthanized 10 pilot whales, the only survivors of a 24-strong pod that became stranded in a mangrove swamp. The whales had been found earlier in the day trapped in the shallow water and mud in Parengarenga Harbor on North Island, with 14 already dead. The mammals had been there for some time and the 10 survivors were in poor shape, said Department of Conservation area manager Jonathan Maxwell. With worsening weather and a high tide more than eight hours away, “the chance of successfully refloating the whales was virtually nil,” Maxwell said. “Sadly, the current conditions were against these animals. The kindest thing was to end their suffering,” he said. “If we felt there was a real chance we could have successfully rescued them, we would have.”
Jan 22nd,2011-Little penguins are dying in their hundreds, leading conservationists to fear they are starving as a result of the La Nina weather system.
Jan 22nd, 2011- Norway-Port Director Odd Bernt Mevold is one of those who collect the birds. So far today we’ve picked up ten birds, so there is a high mortality rate now. What happens in the harbor here is tragic, “said Mevold to NRK. Now the door is about 10 birds a day in the area, and it is not normal, “says Mevold. The bird behaves strange. Also NRK employee observed today eider ducks behaved very strange.
Jan 22nd, 2011-Vietnam-On Monday evening, the Department of Husbandry at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that more than 10,000 cows and buffalos have perished nationwide due to harsh weather conditions. The northern mountainous province of Cao Bang topped the list with more than 2,260 dead cattle. Officials in Lang Son reported nearly 2,000 dead, Lao Cai more than 1,400, Son La 1,300 while Ha Giang and Bac Kan both reported 1,000 cows and buffalos dead.
Jan 23rd, 2011-Ireland-Hundreds of fish have been found dead in the Six Mile Water river in County Antrim. Billy Robinson from Ballynure Angling Club walked a few miles alongside the river on Sunday afternoon. He said he has seen dead fish from Duck bridge right up towards Ballyclare. “There are quite a few dead trout, from small fish, up to fish weighing three quarters of a pound to a pound in weight, so it seems to be a total fish kill,” he said. “I’m looking over the bridge at the moment and there must be around 30 or 40 fish dead in the space of a few yards.”
Jan 23rd, 2011-USA-A preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that 304 otters were found dead along the coast between Half Moon Bay and Santa Barbara, according to the Monterey-based Otter Project.
Jan 25th, 2011-Philippines-The number of birds flying south to important wintering grounds in the Philippines has fallen sharply this year, with experts saying the dramatic demise of wetlands and hunting are to blame.
Jan 26th, 2011-North Carolina-Preliminary necropsies by the University of Georgia on some of the more than 200 Brown Pelicans that have washed up on the shores of Topsail Beach on the coast of southeastern North Carolina are inconclusive. The first dead birds began washing up on shore in November.
Jan 26th, 2011-Canada-People in Nanaimo were shocked to discover thousands of dead herring washed up on their Vancouver island beach.
Jan 28th, 2011-UK-A seasonal canine illness seems to be affecting dogs in certain parts of England.
Jan 31st, 2011- Fish in Brisbane waterways are starting to develop a red spot fungus from flood contamination.
Jan 31st, 2011-Franklin Island-Boonville – A sudden drop in temperature earlier this month led to, a state official said, what appears to be around 1,000 fish dying in Franklin Island Conservation Area.
Jan 31st, 2011-North Fort Collins-More than 250 dead fish were found on a 150-foot stretch of shoreline near an irrigation ditch just north of Willox Street Saturday.
Jan 31st, 2011-UK-A virulent infection first seen in the US is spreading like wildfire through Britain’s woods and forests, causing million of trees to be cut down. Phytophthora ramorum first surfaced in America as Sudden Oak death.
Jan 31st, 2011-Ozark, Arkansas – A state Game and Fish Commission official says more dead drum fish – but far fewer than the number reported in a previous fish kill – have been found in the Arkansas River near the lock and dam at Ozark, in the same area where thousands of dead fish were found a month earlier. A news release Monday from the wildlife agency said a fish kill spotted Friday involved only about 500 fish, compared with 83,000 in a fish kill reported Dec. 29. G&FC assistant fisheries chief Chris Racey said that, as with the previous fish kill, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will test sample fish. Testing on fish from the Dec. 29 kill did not determine a cause, but ruled out parasites, disease or toxic chemicals.
Feb 1st, 2011-Florida pilot has captured on video an ominous sight in the waters off Palm Beach, thousands of sharks.
Feb 1st, 2011-Little Rock – Nearly 500 fish were found dead in the Arkansas River near Ozark late last week, about a month after 83,000 fish were found dead or dying in same area, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials said Monday. The latest find occurred Friday in the river near the Ozark Lock and Dam, said Chris Racey, assistant chief of fisheries with the commission. More than 83,000 dead or dying fish were found in the same area on Dec. 29.
Feb 1st, 2011- Los Angeles California-People were trying Tuesday to determine the cause of a ”widespread and mildly irritating” odor in East Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, a city fire spokesman said. Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said his department had been getting 911 calls, mostly from people in the Boyle Heights area, while County firefighters were receiving the same reports in the larger area of East Los Angeles.
Feb 2nd, 2011-Florida-Pilot Steve Irwin was astonished after spotting a mass of more than 100,000 sharks swimming just 100 yards off Florida’s sandy beaches.
Feb 3rd, 2011- Worldwide-A survey of oyster habitats around the world has found that the succulent mollusks are disappearing fast and 85 percent of their reefs have been lost due to disease and over-harvesting. Most of the remaining wild oysters in the world, or about 75 percent, can be found in five locations in North America, said the study published in BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. An international team of researchers led by Michael Beck of the Nature Conservancy and the University of California, Santa Cruz, examined the condition of native oyster reefs in 40 ecoregions, including 144 bays. “Oyster reefs are at less than 10 percent of their prior abundance in most bays (70 percent) and ecoregions (63 percent),” said the study. “They are functionally extinct — in that they lack any significant ecosystem role and remain at less than one percent of prior abundances in many bays (37 percent) and ecoregions (28 percent) — particularly in North America, Australia and Europe.” By averaging the loss among all regions, the researchers came up with an estimate that 85 percent of oyster reef ecosystems have been lost, but said that figure was likely low because some areas lacked historical records for comparison. The study also did not include oyster reefs in parts of South Africa, China, Japan, and North and South Korea.
Feb 3rd, 2011-Brazil-Mato Grosso Do Sul, Amazon Region – At Aquidauana, pantanal region of the Mato Grosso do Sul state, shoals of painteds, pacus, golden fishes, cacharas – and even stingrays, are floating dead in Rio Negro, one of the largest in the Amazon River basin. The estimated Environmental Policy is of that several tons of fishes died, adding that the authorities and experts, they still do not have the scale of the ecological disaster.
Feb 4th, 2011- Just minutes outside of the New York Harbor, whales, dolphins and seals have been arriving in increasing numbers.
Feb 4th, 2011-New Zealand-Ten of the whales which stranded at Golden Bay have died. The Department of Conservation received a call from a member of the public about 82 pilot whales stranding at Puponga Point at around 1pm this afternoon.
Feb 5th, 2011-New Zealand-What killed hundreds of dead birds found on a Rotorua central city street? Nobody seems to know.
Rotorua mother Glyssa Bosworth was walking down Amohau St this week when her 1-year-old daughter pointed out a bird on the ground.
Feb 7th, 2011-Russia-A ‘super pack’ of wolves has been terrifying a town after leaving more than 30 horses dead in just four days. Four hundred bloodthirsty wolves have been spotted prowling around the edges of Verkhoyansk, in Russia, attacking livestock at will.
Feb 9th, 2011- UK-Government veterinary officers are working to establish how five swans died in the County Down area. It is understood two more birds are ill. The dead birds’ remains were found on private land in the Killyleagh area. A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Dard) said the swans had been removed so that post-mortem exams could be carried out.
Feb 9th, 2011-Mysterious “night shining” or noctilucent clouds are beautiful to behold, and are usually seen during the summertime, appearing at sunset. They are thin, wavy ice clouds that form at very high altitudes and reflect sunlight long after the Sun has dropped below the horizon. Scientists don’t know exactly why they form, but continue to observe them – both from Earth and from space. These images were taken by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite.
Feb 10th, 2011-The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is trying to figure out what caused the death of hundreds of birds in south Lake Charles. The birds were discovered on Thursday morning. More than 100 birds were scattered across Lake Street between Gauthier and Tank Farm Road; another hundred were found on Lincoln Road, about a mile away. Kori Legleu, a biologist with Wildlife and Fisheries, identified the birds as Tree Swallows, a kind of bird that travels in tight flocks.
Feb 10th, 2011- A strange smell reminiscent of rotten eggs is pervading areas of Maryland and West Virginia, and state officials have no idea where it’s coming from.
Feb 10th, 2011-USA-Strange smell travels from West Virginia to Baltimore. A rotten cabbage odor is wafting from west to east, and Maryland officials have taken note. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency has been monitoring a chemical leak that happened in West Virginia. An odd odor reported throughout Frederick, Prince George’s, and Montgomery counties.
Feb 11th, 2011- New Zealand-The deaths of thousands of fish over the past week in the Whangamarino wetland have been caused by very low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, The Department of Conservation [DOC] says. Department spokesperson Kevin Hutchinson said numerous reports had come in from concerned residents and wetland users about the deaths, numbering possibly in the hundreds of thousands. While most are pests such as koi carp and catfish, native species mullet, bullies and eels have also been found dead. “The drought at the end of 2010 exposed large areas of the wetland and rapid plant growth occurred in areas usually under water. High rainfall in January compounded by the baked dry ground in the catchment meant water rapidly ran off into the wetland and water levels remained consistently high for about three consecutive weeks.”
Feb 11th, 2011-Louisiana USA-Around two-dozen high school students come home, in the middle of winter with what looks like… Get this— a sunburn. Now, parents and teachers want to know how this happened. It’s a mystery in the community of Hathaway and it has people burning to know the answers. “We don’t know what caused it,” parent, Donald Demary said. “We just kept trying to find answers,” Hathaway High Principal Mona Miller said. On Wednesday, about two dozen Hathaway High School students came back from a field trip with what appears to be a sunburned.
Feb 13th, 2011-In Ottawa, Canada museum launched an investigation on Friday into the sudden death of 20 000 bees on display in a glass encased hive. All 20 000 bees died within 48 hours, a 29% drop in beehives in 2009, coming on the heels of declines of 36 and 32% in 2008 and 2007.
Feb 13th, 2011-Pakistan’s mysterious death of two beautiful blue peacocks in their natural habitat, the Thar Desert, has caused concern among wildlife conservationists.
Feb 16th, 2011-In New Zealand a toxic discharge has killed more than 500 fish in a New Plymouth stream.
Feb16th, 2011-Sudden and unexplained mass fish deaths in the Black Sea region of Turkey have local residents worried about the safety of their water supply and calling on officials to solve the mystery. There were fish for two kilometers along the shore, which worried us.
Feb 16th, 2011-Colombo – The fish in the Batticaloa lagoon, in the eastern province of Sri Lanka, are being decimated by an unknown disease, probably caused by floods that have lashed the region for weeks. Fish suffering from this disease “are red or orange in color, some bearing strange wounds,” said Sidambarapullai. As explained by the leader of the community, because of the disease almost 85% of the daily catch is lost.
Feb 17th, 2011-Windsor, Ontario — There’s an increasingly smelly fish-and-duck soup at the mouth of Little River as thousands of dead shad and several dozen dead ducks blanket the water’s surface, causing some alarm among residents.
Feb 18th, 2011-Ailment afflicting birds around Lake Erie-Several dozen Canada geese along western Lake Erie’s shoreline have recently died or are presumed dead while others have become so sick they cannot hold up their heads, fly, or maintain control of their motor functions.
Feb 18th, 2011-Fewer big, predatory fish are swimming in the world’s oceans because of overfishing by humans, leaving smaller fish to thrive and double in force over the past 100 years, scientists said Friday.
Feb 19th, 2011-Salmon, Idaho – Bob Appleby will learn this spring if the evergreen tree in his yard in Montana has survived a mysterious outbreak threatening to kill thousands of Austrian pines across the state.
Feb 19th, 2011-Sevastopol, Ukraine — Mass deaths of blackbirds in the Crimea are puzzling Ukrainian scientists.
Feb 19th, 2011-Toledo – Wildlife officials say they have no idea what is killing thousands of ducks and geese along Lake Erie and the Maumee River. When they first discovered the trend a few weeks ago, only a few birds were infected. As of Friday, around 200 birds have been linked to the mystery illness.
Feb 20th, 2011- New Zealand pending storm warning beat any attempts to save a large pod of pilot whales that beached themselves on Stewart Island, with half the numbers said to be still alive.
Feb 20th, 2011-National Environmental Management Authority (Nema), Public Health Ministry and Kenya Wildlife Service are investigating the deaths of fish in Mara River. Conservationists suspect the deaths that started last week might have been caused by agro chemicals from farms, that drain into the river. Hoteliers in Masai Mara Game Reserve are now expressing fear that the chemicals might kill animals that depend on the river.
Feb 21st, 2011-Gulfport — Baby dolphins, some barely three feet in length, are washing up along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines at 10 times the normal rate of stillborn and infant deaths, researchers are finding. The Sun Herald has learned that 17 young dolphins, either aborted before they reached maturity or dead soon after birth, have been collected along the shorelines.
Feb 22nd, 2011-Twitter was awash today with theories that the bizarre deaths of more than 100 stranded pilot whales in New Zealand may have been a warning that an earthquake was going to hit. There have been TWO mass whale deaths on NZ’s South Island in less than three weeks.
Feb 23rd, 2011-In Brackendale, BC eagles are falling out of the sky and trees, and said to be starved to death.
Feb 25th, 2011-The death toll of dolphins washed up along the U.S. Gulf Coast since last month climbed to nearly 60 on Thursday, as puzzled scientists clamored to determine what was killing the marine mammals.
Feb 25th, 2011-Tasmania experts have no answers in the deaths of thousands of squid in River Derwent.
Feb 26th, 2011-In Alabama and Mississippi, 24 baby dolpins washed ashore along with 6 adults. So far a total of 67 dead.
Feb 27th, 2011-Twelve Swans die mysteriously at a lake in Merseyside UK.
Feb 24th, 2011-High numbers of dead fish are washing up onto the beaches around Ascension Island (also known as Apocalypse Island)
March 2nd, 2011- A frozen crocodile has been found in the Mazury forest in Poland.
March 2nd, 2011- 3 Panthers in Florida have been killed under mysterious circumstances.
March 3rd, 2011-Near-record numbers of manatees have died in Florida waters in early 2011, the second straight year of above-average deaths, alarming officials who are also puzzled by a surge in dolphin fatalities along the Gulf Coast. Of the 163 manatee deaths recorded from Jan. to Feb. 25, 91 of them have been blamed on cold water temperatures.
March 4th ,2011-A premature bottlenose dolphin was found dead on the beach at Perdido Key State Park this week, the third young dolphin found on local beaches since Jan. 1. Scientists are trying to figure out what killed 83 bottlenose dolphins – 44 of them babies – found so far this year from the Panhandle to Louisiana, said Kim Amendola, a spokeswomen for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in St. Petersburg.
March 5th, 2011-South Korea confirmed bird flu cases of a duck farm have effected more than 12,400 birds with the virulent H5N1 strain of avain influenza.
March 5th, 2011-West Bank: A flock of 2000 turkeys are diagnosed with a type of H5N1 bird flu near the Northern West Bank of Silat Al-Harithiya near Janin.
March 5th, 2011-Around 2000 chickens have been culled in Gazipur and Noakhali followed the detection of H5N1 virus. Over 13,000 chickens had been executed in that past two days since the occurrence.
March 5th, 2011- Agartala/The mysterious deaths of two leopards and some birds sent the Sepahijala zoo authorities into a tizzy. In the last four days, two leopards and as many as 11 birds of various species including night herons, pond herons, eagles, owls, kites, small cranes and white and black-necked storks have died in the zoo. Besides the two leopards, another wild cat was found dead in the zoo area. A vulture was also found sick and immediately shifted to the intensive care unit. Vultures are now considered an extremely endangered species.
March 5th, 2011-Within eight days Mexico’s Department of the Navy has made the rescue of two whales stranded on the coasts of Colima. Biologists report that this situation occurs due to changing sea temperatures when the whales look for warmer water near shore.
March 6th, 2011-Worldwide-Bumblebees, also known as Bombus terristris, are the pollinating cousins of wasps and hornets. They are the number one pollinator for wild growing plants as well as commercial agriculture; you may have seen them flitting around your Gran’s tomato plants on summer evenings, busy at work. However, these popular and beloved buzzing insects that help bring us all kinds of food– from coffee beans to fresh apples — bring alarming news. In the past few decades scientific studies have found that increasing numbers of bumblebee colonies are disappearing. It’s possible that Bombus affinis, one of the many bumblebee subspecies native to North America, have all but died out. Between 1976 and 2006, there was a huge loss in the number of wild bumblebee colonies; they are now almost completely gone. Not only North America is suffering from this bumblebee disappearance; in the UK, over the past 70 years 3 out of 24 native bumblebee species have gone extinct. Why are bumblebees suddenly taking leave of their duties as master pollinators? Well, it appears that no one person can agree on a single cause. Scientific evidence strongly suggests that the combination of insecticides and disease from imported bees, bred in greenhouses, are two main causes of bee deaths. One highly dangerous group of insecticides, called neonicotinoids, have been used since the 90s in North America on a wide variety of crops.
March 6th, 2011-Japan-Mito – About 50 melon-headed whales were found to have beached on the shore in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, in eastern Japan Friday night and 22 were rescued and returned to the sea on Saturday by authorities and local volunteers. About 200 people, including staff at Oarai Aquarium in the same prefecture, city government officials and local residents and surfers near the Oritsu coast tried to save the beached whales by keeping them hydrated while they tried to refloat them, but 30 of them died, according to the city government. It took about eight hours to return the surviving whales to the sea, the officials said, adding they have buried the carcasses of the dead whales on the nearby shore. Melon-headed whales are commonly seen offshore around the area in the early spring and they may have been drawn into the shallow waters while following their food, said Masayuki Shimada, chief of the marine animal exhibition section of the aquarium.
March 7th 2011- millions of fish including anchovies, sardines, and mackerel are found dead at King Harbor in Redondo Beach, California. USA. But we know for a fact thousands of quakes and many, many volcanoes have erupted since the beginning of this year as well.
March 7th, 2011-e’re in Siberia, shivering. It’s November, November 11, 2003, and two boys, Kolya and Maksim Muravyev, are ice fishing along the Lena River, where it’s 13 below zero. All of a sudden, up in the sky, they see what looks like a flamingo. “We thought it was a swan or a stork,” Kolya says, a flamingo being so preposterously improbable. It was large, and made ever lower circles in the sky. It seemed to be losing energy until finally it fell and lay quietly on the snow. The two boys ran over, called their father, Vasily, who picked up the bird and took it home. It was still alive. “[This is the] first time I see a bird like this,” he told a TV reporter. They fed the flamingo fish and buckwheat saturated in water (not normally flamingo food) and pretty soon it was up, active and knocking around the Muravyev’s apartment. Here it is, head in a feeding bucket.
March 8th, 2011-California USA-Redondo Beach – Millions of dead fish were found Tuesday floating in a Southern California marina. Boaters awakened to find a carpet of small silvery fish surrounding their vessels, said Staci Gabrielli, marine coordinator for King Harbor Marina on the Los Angeles County coast. California Fish and Game officials believe the fish are anchovies and sardines. Experts had yet to determine what happened, but Gabrielli said the fish appeared to have moved into the harbor to escape a red tide, a naturally occurring bloom of toxic algae that can poison fish or starve them of oxygen. High winds overnight might then have trapped the fish in the harbor, crushing them against a wall where they used up the oxygen and suffocated, she said. The dead fish were so thick in some places that Garbrielli said boats can’t get out of the harbor. Fish and Game authorities arrived and began taking samples of the fish. “We have no idea how they got here,” said spokesman Andrew Hughan. “There are thousands and thousands and thousands of fish.”
March 9th, 2011-W. Australia-Washington’s extended spell of hot, still weather and warm ocean temperatures is believed to be the cause of fish kills along the Mid West coast and out at the Abrolhos Islands. Department of Fisheries Senior Fish Pathologist Dr Brian Jones said he expected the natural phenomena would continue while coastal water temperatures remained high. “Fish are cold-blooded, so when the water gets either too hot, or too cold, they suffer,” Dr Jones said. “We have had reports of fish dying recently in the Moore River, along various sections of the coast up to the Mid West and the still, hot conditions have played a significant role in the mortalities. Jones said there had also been reports of abalone losses on reefs near Greenough and fish and lobster deaths at the Abrolhos Islands. He said the advent of some coral spawning at the Abrolhos Islands had also sapped oxygen from the water.
March 9th, 2011-Scientists say they’ve been unable to solve the mystery of dead seals that washed ashore in Labrador between December and January. More than 200 harp seals turned up dead across remote beaches along the coast of the province. “It’s really one that’s got us baffled,” said Dr. Garry Stenson, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. When Stenson received reports of seals turning up dead, he flew into towns in northern Newfoundland and Labrador to collect their frozen carcasses.
March 10th, 2011-Cork, Ireland-Sixteen swans have died in the last 10 days and up to 10 more are seriously ill after they contracted a mysterious infection on the Grand Canal in Dublin. Tests are being carried out on the corpses of the birds by the Department of Agriculture at the State laboratory. As of yesterday avian flu had been ruled out, but the cause of the bird deaths remained unknown last night. A spokeswoman for the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is caring for the sick swans, said they appeared to have contracted a bacterial infection which was possibly botulism.
March 10th, 2011-The Victorian Department of Primary Industries wants local vets to help identify a mystery horse disease. Horses living along the Murray River and near Ballarat have become sick with a virus believed to be spread by mosquitoes. Acting chief veterinary officer Andrew Cameron says he wants local vets to send samples from any sick horses to the DPI. “I believe the most common symptom is sort of ataxia or wobbliness, more or less drunken horse like staggering about,” he said.
March 10th, 2011-San Francisco USA-Western gulls have been dying at an alarming rate over the past decade at San Francisco’s industrial Pier 94, and preliminary results of a state investigation that found deadly mold inside the bird’s lungs are only deepening the mystery surrounding the carnage. Bird rescuers who recover sick and dying gulls every other day or so from a small industrial patch of waterfront land have long blamed a Darling International-run rendering operation for the deaths. But, in new findings that are disputed by the bird rescuers, a preliminary California Department of Fish and Game investigation cleared the facility of responsibility for most of the deaths. The department found 15 to 20 dead or dying gulls monthly, according to California Fish and Game Warden William O’Brien. It performed autopsies on a number of dead gulls and found that growing inside their lungs was a mold called aspergillus, which suffocated the birds.
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