Mass death of animals. Mass death of birds, fish and other animals: possible causes and consequences
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. Huge number 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 increased 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 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 (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 - off the same coast of the island of Tasmania, 194 black dolphins and many bottleneck dolphins washed ashore. 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 washed 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, by their semi-aquatic nature, are particularly vulnerable.
Mass death observed in June 2010 - 82 hippos and 9 buffalo 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 piercing 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 natural 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 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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The mysterious death of animals is one of the most discussed topics on the World Wide Web. At the same time, users are trying to interpret what is happening in their own way. The controversy flared up in earnest.
This is the third case of bird death in Italy since the beginning of 2011. At the very beginning of January American state Arkansas killed more than three thousand blackbirds. Then a similar incident occurred in western Sweden, where several dozen jackdaws were found dead. The fourth case was the mass death of birds near the Canadian city of Saint-Augustin. And just on Monday there was a message about the mass death of starlings in Turkey.
On last week Millions of dead fish were found on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, massive fish deaths were noted in England, Brazil, and New Zealand. Hundreds of black petrels are found dead on the Bio Bio coast in Chile on New Year's Day 2011.
After such reports, the population immediately rejected the official scientific explanations and started talking about the approaching end of the world. The blogosphere, Facebook and Twitter are filled with conspiracy theories and panicked messages: “They say birds are dying from too much noise, and fish are dying from too much noise.” cold water. Do they really think that we will believe this?!"; "We will all die!".
At the same time, George Washington University religious studies professor Paul Duff, who has studied the Revelation of John, showed no signs of concern when contacted last Wednesday. As journalist Jill Rosen writes, “he didn’t even begin to stock up on food and continued to work in his office.”
“There was no generation that did not shout that the end was near,” the professor said. According to him, alarming cases of mass deaths of wild animals, coupled with unanswered questions about the causes of these deaths, provide fertile ground for doomsday theories. Duff is convinced that apocalyptic-minded individuals will not give up their guesses, even if the “prophecies” of dead birds and fish do not come true. “When people wait for the end of the world and it doesn’t come, they don’t give up their faith,” he said. “They just recalculate and push the date back to a later time.”
The situation is complicated by the approaching 2012, which, according to the Mayan calendar, will be the last for humanity. Maybe this is a myth, maybe not, but on the eve of the end of the world, incomprehensible and terrible things are happening in the world, which many consider to be an omen of the coming Apocalypse.
There is another version regarding the death of birds. Its adherents claim that the secrets of rain from dead birds could be revealed former advisor American Presidents John Wheeler. But he didn’t have time - his body was found in a city landfill on the night of January 1. It is believed that Wheeler was planning to make a public statement about the mass bird deaths in Arkansas. It is believed that he had evidence that the death of birds was due to testing of a new species, either biological or chemical weapons. As a result of the tests, the theory goes, the birds were poisoned by a suffocating chemical. However, this conspiracy theory is contradicted by the fact that the cats that ate the carcasses of dead birds are still alive and well, and they show no signs of poisoning.
In turn, some experts believe that the mass death of animals and birds is not a rare phenomenon in nature.
For example, the Internet resource “American Geological Review” regularly updates a list that includes all recorded cases of mass bird deaths. For last year, according to this list, almost 100 such cases have been reported in the United States alone. It can be assumed that many more similar incidents happen on the planet. One of the first cases of mass bird deaths was recorded in 1896 in Louisiana. Experts say that when birds die and fall on houses, cars, and at the feet of passers-by, this causes natural fear. To the point of panic. But still, cases of mass death of animals and birds are not uncommon, therefore, according to scientists, people should not be afraid and associate these facts with the manifestation of certain mystical forces. It is worth waiting for the results of laboratory studies of the remains of dead birds, and after that some conclusions can be drawn, scientists say.
Also, mass death of birds, in particular sparrows, was recorded in Russian city Tomsk. But this phenomenon much easier to explain: sparrows, whose migration route passed through Tomsk, literally hitting the glass of houses in which the sky was reflected. Apparently, the birds simply did not notice the artificial obstacle, continuing their flight.
Another group of experts associates the mass death of birds and fish in different parts planets with magnetic “confusions” of the Earth. For example, with a change in the speed of rotation of the Earth’s core, which led to disruptions in the “working” of the magnetic field. Birds navigating magnetic field During their mass flights, they began to lose their course and find themselves in very unpleasant situations.
According to Italian ornithologists, the mass death of birds in the city of Faenza in the province of Ravenna in northern Italy was caused by massive indigestion - they simply ate waste from processed sunflower seeds at the storage areas of the nearby Tampieri oil plant.
As he told reporters researcher Institute of Animal Prevention of the Regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna Rudolfo Ridolfini, an excessive amount of cake was found in the carcasses of dead birds (in the crops and liver).
Turtle doves are not able to control their need for food, unlike many other birds that inhabit the same spaces, such as gulls and pigeons, the specialist noted.
Initially, local scientists suggested that the birds could have been poisoned by chemicals. They were based on the fact that dead turtle doves were found along the road near a chemical plant. At the same time, the possibility of an outbreak of some kind could not be ruled out. infectious disease. Several bird carcasses were sent for examination.
According to Arkansas environmental authorities, reports of bird deaths near the town of Beebe began arriving on Saturday. The report emphasized that only blackbirds were among the dead; no dead birds of other species were found.
According to one of the local ornithologists, the birds were found to have physical injuries similar to those caused by either a lightning strike or hail. Some experts explain the death of birds purely by the noise from explosions of firecrackers and fireworks, which could cause stress in the birds.
Similar phenomena have been observed in the world before. In particular, in Japan in 2009, tadpoles rained in several areas of the country. Scientists have never been able to explain the reason for this phenomenon. There are frequent cases of mass deaths of pilot whales, which for unknown reasons wash ashore. And this happens on different continents and in different oceans. Many Russian and foreign ecologists are still impressed by the mass death of birds in the Kerch Strait and the Gulf of Mexico as a result of oil spills. What is the hysteria about bird flu worth?
So I don’t advise ordinary people to fall into mysticism. Another thing is what recent years Cases of mass death of animals have become more frequent. This is evidenced by many observations. But perhaps the reason should be sought not in the apocalypse and the Mayan calendar, but in ourselves, that is, in our attitude to nature?
Those who believe in the offensive doomsday, received a lot of confirmation of their expectations. There have been new reports of mass deaths of animals and birds in different parts of the world. On Wednesday, the New-York Daily News reported, hundreds of dead birds were found on the streets of Murray in the US state of Kentucky. Earlier, hundreds of dead birds littered the streets of the town of Gilbertsville in the same state. Blackbirds, robins, starlings, and other birds fall from the sky dead. Neither officials nor environmentalists can yet name the cause of this disaster. The birds are not poisoned, they do not have mechanical damage. The working hypothesis is that natural phenomena led to the death of the birds.
Meanwhile, the attack spread to other countries and continents. Hundreds of dead jackdaws litter the streets of the town of Falköping in southern Sweden. 40 thousand (!) dead crabs washed up on the UK coast. There is a massive death of fish in the Chesapeake Bay. On news agency feeds there are reports of the death of animals and birds in Louisiana, Arkansas, Maryland, Brazil, New Zealand...
It is not surprising that rumors about the coming Apocalypse spread around the world. The explanations given by scientists only strengthen the confidence that a serious breakdown has occurred in the planetary mechanism. Thus, the mass death of crabs in the waters surrounding Britain was explained by the fact that sea water This year is record cold. But this is a sign of a weakening Gulf Stream, which could bring even more terrible disasters in the near future. December 2010 was the coldest in the UK in the last 120 years, says the Daily Mail.
Believers say that what is happening foreshadows the Apocalypse. Biological scientists are not yet inclined to dramatize the situation. “That’s life,” they say. Not life, but death - I would like to make a small amendment.
Famous preacher Steve Wahlberg commented: latest events: “I am deeply convinced that the end of days is at hand. There is too much violence and corruption on earth. Signs are being sent to us that the Apocalypse is near.”
Is it appropriate to connect current events with the morals prevailing in society? How close are we to the fatal line? In the Revelation of John the Theologian there is no mention of birds falling dead from the sky. But there are these lines: “The second angel sounded, and the third part of the sea became blood, and the third part of the living creatures that lived in the sea died...”
Since ancient times, evidence has been preserved of natural disasters that occurred during periods of deep decline in morality. Chroniclers often noticed a cause-and-effect relationship between destructive force natural disasters and immoral behavior of people. Sad end awaited those states and entire civilizations whose peoples and rulers were no longer kind or honest.
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 large quantities, 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 that the water was literally covered 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 west coast Tasmania, and later 48 sperm whales - 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 great 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 has happened to other dogs in different parts of the world.
10. Birds
In recent years, everything has arisen 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.