What are the reasons for the mass destruction of animals. Mass animal mortality
TIME lists recent cases of mass animal deaths, which for the most part remained unexplained.
1. Southern Blackbirds
Residents of an Arkansas town must have felt transported back to the superstitious Middle Ages when thousands of red-winged blackbirds began to fall from the skies. A similar phenomenon, reminiscent of a grim prophecy, was observed a few days later in Louisiana - more than 500 dead birds.
Scientists are stumped, not knowing how to explain the mass death of birds. Disease or food poisoning were excluded. Autopsies showed injuries and bleeding internal organs, perhaps the result of a collision of birds in the air - they fly in dense flocks. The possibility of disorientation due to thunderstorms and falling into a curtain of heavy rain is also being considered.
Security Agency employees environment(Environmental Protection Agency), equipped with masks and protective suits, cleared the area of bird corpses, treating the roofs of houses and roads with a disinfectant solution.
2. American honey bees(American Honeybees)
This started in 2006. A huge number of bees began to die for no apparent reason, forcing scientists to use the term "mass collapse of bee colonies." According to the Department Agriculture, the mortality rate of bees in 2009 in the United States reached 29%, and in 2010 it rose to 34%. Offered various explanations phenomena – fungal infection, pesticides, climate change. However, it is still unknown exactly what leads bees to mass death.
A recent University of Illinois study found that a similar disaster has befallen the bumblebee population, with four major species declining over the past 20 years. by 90%.
3. Bats with White-Nose Syndrome
A mysterious fungal infection is wiping out populations. bats. The first cases of the disease were recorded in New York in 2006. Since then, the disease has spread over 2,000 km; Now mice are dying from white-nose syndrome in 16 US states and four Canadian provinces. The disease killed 5.7 - 6.7 million bats, according to the US Fisheries and Fisheries Service. wildlife(Fish and Wildlife Service).
The animals have been diagnosed with the so-called “white nose syndrome”. The infection becomes active during hibernation: The fungus multiplies and produces white spores that “powder” the animal’s face, hence the name of the disease. The animal becomes a substrate for the fungus, which sucks juices from it all winter. By the end of hibernation, the fungus exhausts the animal - the mouse dies.
Scientists know the causative agent of the disease and the mechanism of infection, but they do not know how to deal with this scourge.
4. Chilean Birds and Sardines
In the first two months of 2009, millions of sardines, thousands of flamingos, thousands of penguins and more than 60 pelicans died off the coast of Chile. The deaths are obviously interconnected, but scientists have not found an explanation for the death.
The penguins were the first to die - more than 1,200 dead birds were found in early March 2009 on a beach on the southern coast of Chile.
In April, millions of sardines washed ashore near this site.
Then thousands of rare Andean flamingos abandoned their nests in northern Chile, leaving more than 2,000 unhatched chicks to die.
Finally, at the end of May 2009, about 60 pelicans were found dead in the central part of the South American coast.
No one has been able to explain the reasons for the death of all these animals. Called global warming, the unusually hot and dry summer of 2009 in Chile, as well as overfishing, pollution and epidemics.
5. Australian Black Dolphin (Australian Pilot Whales)
At the end of 2008, 60 Australian black dolphins stranded on rocky coast South Australian island of Tasmania.
A week later, another 150 long-finned pilot whales washed ashore.
Later, in early January 2009, 45 sperm whales died after swimming in shallow waters off the coast of Tasmania.
And finally, in March 2009, the most egregious case occurred - 194 black dolphins and many bottleneck dolphins washed ashore off the same coast of the island of Tasmania. By the time authorities arrived, 140 animals had already died. Using ropes small boats and jet skis, more than a hundred volunteers were able to pull 54 animals into the ocean.
Scientists have not been able to explain the reasons why marine mammals are thrown ashore.
6. Uganda's Hippopotamuses
In 2004, about 300 hippos died in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park - they drank water that was contaminated with spores anthrax. The deadly bacterium often appears in standing water– such reservoirs appear throughout the country during the dry season. This country has been plagued by anthrax epidemics since the 1950s, and hippos, due to their semi-aquatic nature, are particularly vulnerable.
Mass mortality was observed in June 2010 - 82 hippopotamuses and 9 buffaloes died while drinking water in the Kazinga Channel, connected to Lakes Edward and Lake George, also located in the territory National Park.
7. The Battle of the Frogs
According to legend, in 1754, the Battle of the Frogs took place in the village of Windham in the Connecticut colony. Literally: some frogs fought fiercely with others. At that time, many men from this area went to war - there were battles with the French and Indians. One hot June night, the remaining men in the town heard shrill screams and began shooting indiscriminately, believing that they were being attacked by enemies.
The next morning it was discovered that the screams were coming from frogs, who may have been fighting over the remaining water in the dry pond.
No one ever found out what caused the frog collision, but hundreds, and according to some sources, thousands of these amphibians died.
8. West Coast Pelicans
Pelicans crashed into cars and the sides of boats, huddled in flocks in backyards and died under the wheels of cars. In 2009, hundreds of pelicans from Oregon to Mexico behaved strangely and died. The exact reasons for this phenomenon are unknown.
Rescuers believe that strange behavior pelicans were explained by illness - due to a viral infection or pollution from toxic substances washed into the ocean after fires in Southern California. According to another version, climatic deviations and unusual weather for this season provoked a disruption in the birds’ feeding regime, which caused behavioral deviations and disorientation in space.
9. Livestock, Mongolia (Mongolia's Livestock)
Frosty and snowy winter 2010 in Mongolia, and the extremely dry summer that followed, led to problems with herbivore grazing.
Natural disaster called "Mongols" itching" (zud, literally – pestilence, cyclical disaster), caused the death of millions of camels, goats, sheep, cows, yaks and horses.
The UN even created a special program under which Mongolian shepherds were paid to clear pastures of the remains of dead animals.
10. Sea Turtles in El Salvador
In January 2006, the bodies of several species washed up on the coast of El Salvador. sea turtles on the verge of extinction. The circumstances of the death of these animals remained a mystery.
It was later said that more than 200 sea turtles were victims of red tide, a destructive phenomenon caused by algae blooms at the surface of the water.
Translation - E. Kuzmina © When using my translations, a link to the site is required
Mass animal deaths are one of the strangest natural phenomena. Why do thousands of dolphins wash ashore, and the whole herd of sheep throw themselves into the abyss from a cliff?
Our selection presents the most famous and strange cases mass death of animals in different corners planets.
Death of hippos in Uganda
In 2004, in one of national parks About 300 hippos died in Uganda. The cause of the mass death of animals was anthrax infection. Spores of dangerous bacteria ended up in a pond from which hippos drank water.
Death of pelicans in Peru
In 2012, about 1,200 washed up on the coast of Peru. dead bodies birds. The population was gripped by serious panic, tourists left the region in a hurry. As a result, the mysterious death was attributed to a banal lack of the birds' main food - anchovies, which, as a result of pollution of the water surface, went to depth.
The Mystery of the Blackbirds
One of the most mysterious cases A massive animal death occurred in 2011 in Arkansas. Hundreds of them began to fall to the ground dead blacks blackbirds. Two days later, the same situation repeated itself in Louisiana. At first, scientists thought that the birds were infected with some kind of fatal disease, but studies have shown the absence of any dangerous viruses in their bodies. But there were many injuries on the bodies of the dead blackbirds. Since the cases occurred in new year holidays, they suggested that fireworks were the cause of the mass death. They could frighten blackbirds from their homes and instill panic in them. Apparently, the birds, frightened and unable to see well in the dark, began to fly into buildings and trees, resulting in severe injuries and falling dead.
Suicide dolphins
In February 2017, more than 400 pilot whales washed ashore in New Zealand. As a result of this suicide attempt, about 300 animals died, the rest were refloated and rescued.
This is not the first such case. From time to time in different corners globe fix mass suicides dolphins and whales. Why animals do this remains unknown.
Tragic death of snow geese in Montana
In 2016, thousands of snow geese died in the poisonous Berkeley Pit Lake, which is located in Montana. A flock of birds flew over the lake and decided to wait out the approaching snowstorm on its surface. This decision turned out to be fatal. The lake contains great amount toxic waste, including copper, arsenic, magnesium, zinc, etc. Getting drunk poisonous water from the reservoir, almost all the geese died, only about 50 birds out of 10,000 remained alive.
Death of reindeer in Norway
In 2016, 323 deer were killed in Norway's Hardangervidda National Park. Researchers believe that the cause of death of all animals was a lightning strike.
Death of marine life in Chile
In March 2013, the beach of the Chilean city of Coronel was covered with thousands of dead shrimp and shellfish. For some unknown reason Marine life washed ashore, turning the coastal sand red. The investigation into the incident led nowhere, and it is still shrouded in secrecy.
The terrible and mysterious death of frogs in Germany
Very unusual phenomenon happened in 2006 on one of the lakes in the Hamburg area. The frogs that inhabited the pond suddenly began to die en masse, and their deaths resembled scenes from the most nightmarish horror films. At first, the reptiles slowly swelled, and after their volume increased 3-4 times, they suddenly exploded and burst, scattering their insides around. About 1,000 amphibians died this way. Around mysterious death there have been fierce debates about frogs, but scientists have not yet been able to find out its reliable causes.
Mass suicide of sheep in Turkey
In 2005, almost 1,500 sheep jumped off a cliff in Turkey. As a result of this suicide attempt, 450 animals fell to their death, and the rest managed to survive due to the bodies of their dead comrades softening the fall.
Thousands of dead fish in Texas
In June 2017 thousands dead fish were discovered on the coast of Matagorda Bay in Texas. The coastal beach for 1.5 kilometers was strewn with the corpses of mendaden, flounder and trout. The cause of the fish's death remains unclear, but some scientists believe that the animals could have been poisoned by toxins released by some algae during blooms.
Mass death of wild animals
IN last decade In the Republic of Belarus, there is an increase in natural foci of rabies with a tendency to spread. Epizootics of rabies are widespread among predatory animals (wolves, foxes, etc.). The disease in wolves occurs in the same form as in dogs. Rabid wolves, in a state of excitement, leave their packs and run away from them over long distances. On their way, they attack people (usually in areas of haymaking, harvesting, logging, road construction) and herds of animals. Their state of excitement manifests itself for 3–4 days and ends in paralysis, just like in dogs. The foxes in certain years rabies occurs as a mass disease with typical manifestations and very high mortality rate. Mad foxes attack animals and people, which is not typical for healthy foxes. Cases of the disease are reported annually hunting dogs as a result of bites from rabid foxes.
For the prevention of epizootics among carnivorous wild animals, oral vaccination, shooting of wild carnivorous animals, aeration of rodent burrows, and the use of poisons and hormonal drugs are carried out.
Oral vaccination of wild animals is the use of food baits in which a capsule with liquid or dry rabies vaccine is placed. Held in February–April and October–December.
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Incredible facts
No one is surprised or frightened by talk about the sixth extinction of species occurring on Earth. It’s understandable – in itself extinction process can take thousands and tens of thousands of years. However, over the past few years, in different parts of our planet, mysterious cases of mass animal deaths, which so far defy any rational explanation.
Latest most known cases are related to the death of thousands of birds that occurred in two southern American states, and the death of one hundred thousand fish in the Arkansas river. Some cases of mass animal deaths have already been found rational explanations; others are still left without them.
We present to your attention ten of the most mysterious cases of mass deaths of mammals, fish and birds that have occurred over the past decade.
Blackbirds
Many of the residents must have Arkansas woke up, sitting deep inside every person, superstitious feelings when one not very wonderful day fell on their heads thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds.
It happened on one of the first days off current year. Everything that happened looked like terrible sign. Two days later, this happened again in another American state - in Louisiana.
True, then about five hundred dead birds fell from the sky. Scientists from all over the world continue to puzzle over this mysterious and, to tell the truth, very frightening incident. Dozens of versions are being considered, with people trying to find first rational explanations for such a massive death of blackbirds.
Initially, some mysterious illness or poisoning was assumed.
However, studies of bird corpses have shown numerous injuries and hemorrhages, which could well have occurred due to the fact that a large number of blackbirds literally crashed into each other in flight. This could happen if the birds were in a confined space at a height. Perhaps the blackbirds were simply disoriented when they found themselves near storm front.
However, the authorities did not take risks, and Environmental Protection Agency employees quickly appeared at the scene of the bird fall (Environmental Protection Agency), all wearing masks and special protective suits, carefully cleared the area of dead bird bodies, while treating the roofs of houses and roads with a special solution.
Honey bees
Back in 2006, scientists noticed that the number of bees was declining sharply. Then a huge number of bees died for no apparent reason, and scientists were even forced to come up with a special term for this phenomenon - colony collapse syndrome bee families .
According to data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture), already in 2009, 29 percent of the bees in the colonies died in this country, and in 2010 the percentage of death even increased to 34. Over the years, there have been a good hundred explanations for the reasons why bees are dying out so rapidly.
Here we considered versions of some fungal infectious diseases , mass pesticide poisoning, climate change on the planet... However, to this day no one is able to responsibly name the causes of the mass death of bees.
And the latest research conducted by specialists from the University of Illinois (University of Illinois), revealed even more frightening facts! It turns out that in addition to honeybees, the number of bumblebees of more than four of the most common species has decreased by 90 percent over the past 20 years!
Bats and white-nose syndrome
In the same fatal year for bees, 2006, the first case of a bat dying from mysterious fungal disease.
Since then, more than one person has died from the same disease in 14 American states and two Canadian provinces. 1 million bats! This disease was immediately dubbed "white nose syndrome", revealing that it is primarily susceptible to mammals that lead primarily night look life.
However, the fungus itself does not kill animals. It affects the mouth and nasal cavity a mammal at a time when the animal is hibernating. It leads to unplanned awakening bats that are forced to leave their caves in order to find food and replenish vitality body. However, due to the fact that the awakening occurs too early, the bats die from hypothermia or starvation.
Numerous organizations, engaged in research and conservation of wildlife, were forced to examine hundreds of caves and abandoned mines before they were able to discover the reason for the early awakening of bats. Now we have even managed to create medicine against "awakening" fungus! However, the causes of the disease itself have not been identified...
Chilean birds and sardines
In 2009, within two months, millions of sardines ( commercial fish herring family), thousands of flamingos, thousands of penguins and about 60 pelicans died off the coast of Chile.
Moreover, at first glance, death occurred for the same reason. Penguins were the first to die. About 1,200 dead birds were found in early March 2009 on a remote beach on the southern coast of Chile. Then, already in April, not far from the same place, they were thrown ashore millions of sardines! Then thousands of the rarest andean flamingos left their nests in northern Chile.
About 2,000 unhatched chicks were then abandoned on the rocks. And finally, at the end of May 2009, around 60 pelicans were found dead in the central part of the South American coast. And the worst thing is that no one has been able to clearly explain the reasons for the death of all these animals.
But, as usual, many unconfirmed versions were put forward, such as global warming, air pollution, an unknown disease and even overfishing off the Chilean coast. It is also possible that the reason was the unusually hot and dry weather that prevailed on the coast in those months.
Australian black dolphin
At the end of 2008 60 Australian black dolphins jumped ashore along rocky shore South Australian island and state Tasmania.
A week later, another 150 long-finned black dolphins joined the first batch of “suicide dolphins.” Then at the beginning of January 2009 45 sperm whales died due to the fact that they accumulated in shallow waters off the coast of Tasmania.
And to top it all off, in March 2009, the last case of a mass stranding of ocean inhabitants occurred - then, off the same coast, off the island of Tasmania, 194 black dolphins and several dozen bottlenose dolphins (the so-called large dolphins).
According to the application official authorities Then about 140 animals died. The rest were saved. Using ropes, small boats and jet skis, more than 100 volunteers literally pushed about 54 individuals into the ocean. But although these strandings have been carefully studied, scientists never came to a consensus, explaining the reasons for the misfortunes that occurred.
Hippos in Uganda
In 2004 in Queen Elizabeth National Park, in Uganda ( East Africa) about 300 hippos died from anthrax spores that appeared in drinking water.
The deadly bacterium often appears in stagnant bodies of water, which are found throughout Uganda. dry periods a lot appears. In general, since the 1950s, this country has repeatedly suffered from unexpected outbreaks of anthrax.
And hippos, due to the fact that they spend most of their time in such bodies of water, turned out to be the most susceptible to these terrible outbreaks. It is believed that this is the reason why 82 hippos and nine buffaloes died in the country in June 2010.
Animals drank water in the Kazinga Canal (Kazinga Channel), which is associated with Lakes Edward and Lake George located in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It seems that in this case, scientists were able to accurately determine the causes of the mass death of animals, but this did not save the latter.
Pelicans on west coast USA
According to eyewitnesses, what happened in 2009 with pelicans on the west coast of the United States was similar to real madness. Pelicans from Oregon before Mexico hit car windows and the sides of boats.
They huddled in groups and threw themselves under the wheels! As it turned out later, several thousand pelicans then died because of this inappropriate behavior, the reasons for which are still unclear.
Some researchers, many of whom were involved in bird rescue at the time, believe that this strange behavior of pelicans can be explained by some kind of virus. Perhaps after the fires in Southern California some substances got into the ocean water poisonous substances. Another theory is that, supposedly, the weather, which was unusual for that time of year, caused a disruption in the birds’ feeding regime, which led to their mass insanity due to disorientation in space.
Livestock: Mongolia
Extremely cold and snowy winter in 2010 Mongolia, as well as the extremely dry summer that followed, led to many types of herbivores in that region they did not have the opportunity to feed themselves properly.
This is a misfortune that in Mongolia was called the word "itch"(literally a recurring natural disaster) is itself a fairly common occurrence. However, the scale of the itch in 2010 is simply amazing due to its destructiveness.
Then in the country millions died camels, goats, sheep, cows, yaks and horses. The United Nations then even created special program, in which Mongolian shepherds were paid extra for clearing pastures of the carcasses of these animals.
Such a misfortune in itself has a very severe consequences, and for a country like Mongolia, where the majority of the population is a pastoralist and dependent on domestic animals, the consequences were doubly severe.
Sea turtles in El Salvador
In January 2006 on the coast El Salvador The bodies of several species of sea turtles were washed up in waves. For a long time the circumstances of the death of these animals remained a mystery.
And only a few years later International organization for wildlife conservation stated the reason why at least, 200 sea turtles were affected by the so-called "red tide"- an extremely destructive phenomenon that is caused by the accumulation of microscopic algae at the surface of the water.
“Red tide” is called because of the reddish color that the water acquires during this period. The accumulation of these algae leads to oxygen deficiency in the water and the appearance of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia in it, which was the cause of the death of sea turtles in El Salvador.
Battle of the Frogs
Finally, we will tell a story from a fairly distant past, from which it is clear that animals have died before large quantities for no apparent reason. In 1754 in the village Windham, in what is now the state of Connecticut, USA, an event occurred that led to mass death large number frogs.
No, we are not talking about a large order received from French restaurants! It's about O battle between frogs! Moreover, the battle was so fierce that everything around was literally strewn with the bodies of these amphibians.
According to some historical documents, in the same area and during the same period there were numerous bloody skirmishes between the Indians and the colonialists. These clashes resulted in great loss of life.
One hot June night, the remaining men in the town most of of which she was completely drunk, were scared by the shots, heard in the darkness literally from everywhere. People thought they were being attacked by Indians.
However, in the morning it was discovered that these sounds were made numerous frogs, fighting with frenzy literally everywhere - both in small bodies of water and outside them. No one could really say then why such a huge number of these amphibians literally went crazy, killing several thousand of their fellows.
Ecology
IN Lately There are many cases where animals die en masse. Mass animal deaths often occur suddenly, and scientists are often unable to determine the cause.
There are several explanations for this phenomenon: diseases, pollution, viruses, global warming and even the apocalypse.
Many of these cases were solved, while others remained a mystery. What actually happens in nature?
1. Sunflower starfish
Just recently, scientists encountered a strange disease affecting sunflower starfish.
Starfish began to die in large numbers, and their the body begins to literally decompose, turning into mucus.
Dying starfish syndrome begins with a small wound on a limb starfish, spreads inward until the animal dissolves in less than a week. The disease struck large territory from Alaska and Canada to Southern California in the USA. Scientists cannot yet explain this strange anomaly, but believe that it may be due to a bacterial infection, virus or other factors.
2. Snapper fish
In January 2011, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed ashore on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.
Fishermen who were at sea described how the water was literally covered with dead fish. Even stranger was the fact that all the fish had no eyes.
Authorities said the fish were starving, but witnesses said it was a deliberate act. Whether this is a mass extermination of fish is anyone's guess.
3. Giant squid (Humboldt squid)
In January 2005, Thousands of Humboldt squid washed ashore California.
Very little is known about these squids, as they live at depths of up to 700 meters, further complicating the task for scientists who have been trying to determine why they engaged in mass suicide.
According to one theory, the reason was toxin poisoning. However, if the water were contaminated, then not only the squid would be affected, and if it was something that was eaten, then it is unlikely that this would affect so many squid.
A similar event occurred in 2002, with toxins being the main but unconfirmed cause.
4. Black dolphins (pilot whales)
In 2009, hundreds of pilot whales, or blackheaded dolphins, died in Tasmanian waters. More than 400 inexplicably died at sea, and almost 200 washed ashore to King Island near Australia with some other dolphins.
Rescuers rushed to help the animals, but by the time they arrived, about 140 dolphins were dead. The rest were rescued, along with 7 dolphins.
A few months before this incident, 150 pilot whales died after stranding on the west coast of Tasmania, and later 48 sperm whales died near Perkins Island.
The main theory explaining mysterious deaths, has become echolocation disturbance, however again this has not been confirmed.
5. A flock of sheep
In 2005, several Turkish shepherds lost their jobs after 1500 sheep they were watching jumped off a cliff. It all started with one sheep going over the edge, and the rest followed.
The first 400 sheep died as a result of falling from a height of 15 meters, and 1100 survived because the bodies of their brothers softened the fall. This incident had big influence to the village in which everything happened, since for many families these animals were a means of livelihood.
6. Cows
It's one thing for sheep to jump off a cliff together and do it at the same time. However, in the city of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland there was even more strange story with cows and bulls.
In August 2009 within 3 days, 28 cows and bulls died after jumping from a high hill in the Swiss Alps. All the animals fell from the same place, which would be natural if they did it together. But the incident lasted for 3 days, which puzzled scientists a lot.
A police spokesman said the cows were quite intelligent and were able to understand the dangers of heights.
7. Shrimp
In March 2013, residents of the town of Coronel in Chile discovered that their beach had become... literally red and the reason for this was millions of dead shrimp.
Local fishermen blamed two nearby coal-fired power plants. This may have led to an increase in water temperature in which the shrimp were unable to survive.
However, one can only guess what actually happened.
8. Toads
In 2005 thousands of toads in northern Germany and Denmark began mysteriously explode. You could see how they sat calmly in their place, and then suddenly exploded with such pressure that their insides scattered at a distance of 1 meter.
Possible explanations included virus or fungus which caused bloating.
They also put forward a theory that the crows pecked at the livers of the toads, after which they swelled, and this led to an explosion.
Moreover, the toads did not die immediately, but suffered for several minutes.
9. Dogs
Overtown Bridge in Milton, Scotland has become notorious as the Dog Suicide Bridge. In the 1950s, dogs for some inexplicable reason began to jump off a 15-meter bridge. At least 50 dogs have committed suicide since the first case was recorded, including 5 dogs that jumped over a 6-month period in 2005.
In Celtic mythology, a bridge is the place where heaven meets earth, and many believe that dogs died due to supernatural powers. Others believe that dogs smell the minks that live in those areas and jump in search of these animals.
However, several facts are not taken into account. Firstly, dogs are not stupid creatures, and if this was the reason, then it happened to other dogs in different parts peace.
10. Birds
IN last years everything arises all over the world more cases, When birds start falling dead. In Kentucky, hundreds of starlings and blackbirds were found in one woman's yard.
In Chile thousands of flamingos, 1200 penguins and 60 pelicans died within 2 months.
Mass bird deaths have occurred with alarming frequency in recent years, but one incident was particularly strange.
Every year in the small village of Jatinga in India, birds fly into the ground. Scientists are trying to explain this phenomenon and answer the questions: Why do they do this? Why does this affect multiple species of birds? Why do birds only do this on a small section of the road? Why does this happen in September? And why do birds do this after sunset when they are usually active during the day?
Many people visit this place to see this phenomenon with their own eyes.
Bonus: Herring
Another mysterious one mass death fish originated in Norway in New Year's Eve 2012. More 20 tons of dead herring washed up on the Norwegian coast of Kvaenes. The entire beach was literally covered with lifeless fish.
Local residents claimed that something similar had already happened in the 1980s, and perhaps the culprit was a lack of oxygen. Experts argued that several factors played a role.
However, when residents began to speculate on how to remove nearly 20 tons of dead herring before they began to decompose, the fish disappeared. Researchers believe the fish were washed back into the North Sea.