May 19, 2014 - EARTH -
The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual animal
behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the
appearance of rare creatures.
Authorities are trying to determine what caused tens of thousands of fish to turn up dead in the waters off Marina del Rey over the weekend. The first report came in just after 9 p.m. Saturday at the A-Basin in the 13000 block of Tahiti Way, officials said. When Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived, they discovered an estimated 70,000 dead anchovies floating in the water, along with other sea life, including sting rays and angel sharks. It was not immediately known what caused the fish to die and wash up to the basin. A bait fish expert told NBC4 that Saturday night’s low tide combined with low oxygen levels may have been the cause of the massive die off.
WATCH: Kate Larsen reports from Marina del Rey for the NBC4 News at 11.
"Inside the marina here you have the sea walls that make it a confined space, so there's only a certain amount of oxygen in the water immediate to the fish," said bait expert Mike Spears. "It was a low tide, which means the water was going out, nothing was coming in from the ocean, so it was just stale water and they just suffocated in it, and everything around them suffocated, too."Matthew King of Heal the Bay said the weather may be to blame."Warmer temperatures can create algal blooms, which will suck up a lot of oxygen," King said. "That's happened in the past, and hot weather always has been associated with low oxygen levels in the water."On Sunday afternoon, workers hauled away about 175 garbage bags worth of fish, weighing an estimated 7,000 pounds. - NBC Los Angeles.
Thousands of sheep in Australia are believed to have died after eating a poisonous plant that makes them “bash their heads on posts and rocks until they crack open”. The usually-rare toxic plant, misleadingly named the “Darling pea”, has spread rapidly in the aftermath of bushfires in New South Wales – which themselves caused devastation for sheep farmers in the area. Now vets have said that many of the animals which survived the fires face a new and highly addictive threat. North West Local Land Services regional veterinarian Bob McKinnon told the Sydney Morning Herald that once sheep started eating the plant they exhibit behaviour “similar to that of a drunk”. “They lose weight to start with and then get staggery, the progression gets worse, they get unco-ordinated and depressed, they don't know where their feet are.” He said that “staring eyes”, “head pressing” and “muscle tremors” were other symptoms, until eventually the animals “just go to a post and bang their head on it till they crack their heads open”.
The task of bringing in herds that would normally take six hours instead takes “days”, Mr McKinnon said. “It’s like dealing with a thousand heroin addicts.” Just one farming family in Coonabarabran said they had lost 800 sheep to the deadly plant. Stephen and Louise Knight said the animals were missing when they counted up the stock at shearing time. “It was just devastating they weren't there when we went to get them. “The fire was a distressing thing to have happen, we lost so many stock, fences, pasture - and then for it to come back with a terrible noxious plant like this, it's awful and very distressing.” The plant, from the Swainsona family of desert peas native to Australia, has toxins which build up when sheep graze on it for extended periods. It attacks an enzyme involved in metabolism, ultimately crippling the animal’s central nervous system. There is no cure, Mr McKinnon said, other than to “get the animals off it in time”. “But if they've been on it too long the damage has been done and it doesn't repair to where it should be,” he said. - Independent.
Police and National Parks and Wildlife rangers attended the rescue of a melon headed whale on the beach south of Brunswick Heads yesterday morning.The rare coastal whale, more akin to a large dolphin, was found about 5.30am, 5km south of Brunswick Heads and was released back into deep water by local police.However, the marine mammal returned to shore soon after and beached itself again.A team of carers from National Parks and Wildlife, Ballina Seabird Rescue and Orrca Inc helped Seaworld veterinarians prepare the whale for transport in a special trailer to the Gold Coast aquarium.There the animal will undergo blood tests and treatment before being released back into the wild.Ballina Seabird Rescue spokesman Keith Williams, alias Capt Turtle, explained that the whale's sickness was not unlike Parvovirus in dogs.He said the whale would not end up as an amusement for Seaworld visitors. - The Northern Star.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are working to identify a very unusual fish. The specimen was caught off a pier in Pensacola, and as of Friday, was on its way to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The fish has a long smooth tail with no fins, and looks almost prehistoric. Researchers will confirm the ID of the species, and take a tissue sample for DNA analysis. - WFLA.
More than 100 pounds of fish recently rained upon a village in western Sri Lanka, reported the BBC. The fish probably came from a nearby river after being scooped up by a storm. Locals collected the fish, many of which still were living and flopping around. Although it sounds like a Biblical curse, “fish rains” have occurred many times around the globe and have a natural explanation. Meteorologists believe strong updrafts in storms pull water from rivers, lakes and oceans. Fish, frogs and other animals come with the water, then fall along with the rain. Sometimes the animals survive the journey, other times they are shredded or encased in ice.
Yoro, Honduras, celebrates an annual festival to commemorate the frequent fish rains in that town, reported Hablemos, an El Savadoreño magazine. The fish are native to the nearby Aguán River. Yoreños collect the fish, eat some in soups or roasted in cork husks and preserve others in jars. In 2003, fish fell in Talanga, another Honduran town, reported El Universo. The first fish rain in Yoro occurred in the 19th century after Fr. Manuel de Jesús Subirana prayed for a miracle to end the starvation of Yoro’s citizens, according to local legend. After three days of prayer, the holy mackerel fell from the sky. In 2010, hundreds of spangled perch fell on Lajamanu, a small town on the edge of Australia’s Tanami Desert, reported the Daily Mail. Japan experienced a rain of fish and tadpoles in 2009, reported the Guardian. The BBC reported that numerous two-inch-long fish fell on Norfolk, England in 2000. - Discovery News.
Seaside visitors have recently been shocked to find giant barrel jellyfish - some the size of dustbin lids - washing up on the south coast. One Dorset resident has already spotted more than 30 of the marine animals in his local area. Scientists claim the recent winter's wet weather has caused the unusual occurrence of huge jellyfish around UK shores. With a number of coastal rivers in the South-West having burst their banks, high levels of nutrients washed into the sea during Britain's deluge. As a result the plankton, which jellyfish feed on, is so rich at the moment because of the amount of nutrients in the sea. After being lured here from their usual warmer feeding ares in the Mediterranean, the jellyfish, which measure over 3ft in diameter, are being left stranded on the shore by south westerly winds and strong tides. Weighing up to 35kg, barrel jellyfish can cause irritation to human skin.
Steve Trewhella, 50, a wildlife photographer, stumbled upon a live specimen as it floundered in the shallows off the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Wearing a dry suit, Steve used an underwater camera to capture it. Steve, from Wareham, has seen dozens of the giant creatures so far but believes that they are the tip of the iceberg. He said: "I have seen around 30 jellyfish in the area so far, including live ones. "They are very heavy creatures and they are continuing to become stranded because of the wind and tide. "They are being washed into the shallow water and when the tide goes back out, they are left there. "Jellyfish are a form of plankton and one of the possible reasons we are seeing such high numbers at the moment is because of the plankton bloom. "The sea water is very cloudy and there are a lot of nutrients in it which could be because of the unusual winter we had. "The sea has been very turbid and we had a lot of floodings in rivers, and as these feed into the sea, more nutrients may have been carried into it. "Although I think the plankton bloom and jellyfish are part of the natural process, this could be to do with it. "I think that the numbers we have seen so far are the tip of the iceberg and only a small percentage of how many really are in the harbour." - Express.
Rescuers are scrambling to save a record number of young sea lions and seals along California's northern and central coast while scientists work to understand why the animals are beaching themselves - and in one case swimming and waddling all the way to an almond orchard near Modesto. The emaciated and dehydrated pups are turning up along the 600 miles of coastline from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo monitored by the Marine Mammal Center. Many are too weak to move after washing ashore during their almost yearlong weaning. The group has more than 1,000 volunteers who respond to reports of strandings by alarmed beachgoers and others. They clean, feed and medicate the hundreds of animals filling a rescue center in the Marin Headlands. Lately, they've been busy - and burning through 1,000 pounds of herring a day. "The ones we are seeing are basically starving to death," said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary sciences at the center, which has field offices in Mendocino, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. "It's definitely a mystery. We're hoping it's not the new norm." As of Wednesday, the center had brought in 429 California sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals and fur seals this year. That's well above the 291 animals admitted by the same date last year and surpasses the record of 388 animals for the time period, set in 1998.
Changing fish stocks
Johnson said many of the animals may be struggling to find enough food because of changing fish stocks. Another suspected culprit is a huge recent bloom of toxic algae in Monterey Bay, which has killed sea birds and prompted public health officials to warn consumers not to eat certain types of fish and shellfish. Algae blooms, also known as red tides, have proliferated in recent years and produce a neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish, mussels, anchovies, sardines and herring, a primary food source for California's 300,000 sea lions. The neurotoxin, domoic acid, can cause memory loss, tremors, convulsions and death. "It was first diagnosed in the Marine Mammal Center in 1998," Johnson said. "There was a huge outbreak of sea lions having seizures. Now that we recognize it, the Public Health Department is looking for it because it affects humans, too." The record number of rescues comes a year after Southern California witnessed an almost 70 percent die-off of young sea lions - those born in summer 2012 - near the Channel Islands, where most American sea lions breed. Government scientists perplexed by the hundreds of starving pups washing up in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties declared an "unusual mortality event" and began an investigation. Previous die-offs were blamed on domoic acid, El Niño conditions and leptospirosis, a bacterial infection. Officials have not directly linked this year's strandings to the die-off. Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, said last year's stranded pups were around 6 to 8 months old - a few months shy of the 11-month point, when they typically venture out on their own. The seals and sea lions beaching themselves in recent months are around the age when they finish weaning after being born last summer. Rescuers say they usually see more stranded pups this time of year - just not in such vast numbers. "We probably won't have a whole understanding for a few years. In 2013, it was only the young animals that tried to do it on their own," Melin said. "Now this year there's lots of stranding going on, but those are a different age-class of pups."
Confused pup near Modesto
In early April, workers at a ranch near Modesto were dumbfounded when they came across a confused sea lion pup in the middle of an almond orchard. The pup, later named Hoppie, reportedly swam up the San Joaquin River before waddling almost a mile into the orchard about 100 miles from the ocean. Hoppie was rescued by the Marine Mammal Center, where he was nourished and treated for sores. The unlikely journey made headlines around the country, but experts stressed that it might have underscored a more serious problem for sea lions. With beach weather beginning to arrive in Northern and Central California, experts are urging people who come across a seal or sea lion pup that appears healthy to leave it alone. Often, a mother will spend her days seeking food, leaving the pup behind. Animals that appear to be ill, though, can be reported to the Marine Mammal Center's hotline, allowing trained volunteers to respond. If they determine the animal needs help, they will bring it to the rescue center, where crews of 30 people begin an aggressive rehabilitation regiment. "We rescue, rehabilitate and release them as quickly as we can," Johnson said.
Rescue Efforts
429 Sea lions and seals treated at Marine Mammal Center in 2014.
291 Marine mammals treated during same span last year.
388 Record number of animals treated during span, in 1998.
- SF Gate.
In news that is sure to set you off your next planned Beijing duck banquet, over 20,000 ducks in a poultry farm in suburban Beijing have died mysteriously in a single week, setting off fears that they might be the victims of bird flu. The Beijing News reported this morning that tests were underway to determine what's causing the deaths, but results will not be available until tomorrow at the earliest. Ducks at six farms in the northeastern suburb of Pinggu began experiencing the die-off last week, and as of last night deaths were still increasing. One farmer alone says he's lost 7,200 of the 7,800 ducks on his farm since April 29. The same farmer said he was due to sell a good chunk of his flock on May 1, and in a little peek into the economics of raising ducks in Beijing, he said he typically sells each duck for between RMB 31 to RMB 33. The basic cost of raising one duck, he said, is about RMB 27. In a desperate attempt to stop the die-off, another of the farmers claims to have tried 30 different medicines on his ducks, all to no avail. - The Beijiner.
70,000 Fish Turn Up Dead in Marina Del Rey, California
 |
| hough officials have not said what caused a massive fish die-off in the
waters off Marina del Rey over the weekend, experts say low oxygen levels may be to blame. |
Authorities are trying to determine what caused tens of thousands of fish to turn up dead in the waters off Marina del Rey over the weekend. The first report came in just after 9 p.m. Saturday at the A-Basin in the 13000 block of Tahiti Way, officials said. When Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived, they discovered an estimated 70,000 dead anchovies floating in the water, along with other sea life, including sting rays and angel sharks. It was not immediately known what caused the fish to die and wash up to the basin. A bait fish expert told NBC4 that Saturday night’s low tide combined with low oxygen levels may have been the cause of the massive die off.
WATCH: Kate Larsen reports from Marina del Rey for the NBC4 News at 11.
"Inside the marina here you have the sea walls that make it a confined space, so there's only a certain amount of oxygen in the water immediate to the fish," said bait expert Mike Spears. "It was a low tide, which means the water was going out, nothing was coming in from the ocean, so it was just stale water and they just suffocated in it, and everything around them suffocated, too."Matthew King of Heal the Bay said the weather may be to blame."Warmer temperatures can create algal blooms, which will suck up a lot of oxygen," King said. "That's happened in the past, and hot weather always has been associated with low oxygen levels in the water."On Sunday afternoon, workers hauled away about 175 garbage bags worth of fish, weighing an estimated 7,000 pounds. - NBC Los Angeles.
Thousands Of Sheep In Australia Die From "Banging Their Heads Till They Crack Open"
 |
| Thousands of sheep in Australia have been behaving 'like heroin addicts' after eating a deadly poisonous plant |
Thousands of sheep in Australia are believed to have died after eating a poisonous plant that makes them “bash their heads on posts and rocks until they crack open”. The usually-rare toxic plant, misleadingly named the “Darling pea”, has spread rapidly in the aftermath of bushfires in New South Wales – which themselves caused devastation for sheep farmers in the area. Now vets have said that many of the animals which survived the fires face a new and highly addictive threat. North West Local Land Services regional veterinarian Bob McKinnon told the Sydney Morning Herald that once sheep started eating the plant they exhibit behaviour “similar to that of a drunk”. “They lose weight to start with and then get staggery, the progression gets worse, they get unco-ordinated and depressed, they don't know where their feet are.” He said that “staring eyes”, “head pressing” and “muscle tremors” were other symptoms, until eventually the animals “just go to a post and bang their head on it till they crack their heads open”.
The task of bringing in herds that would normally take six hours instead takes “days”, Mr McKinnon said. “It’s like dealing with a thousand heroin addicts.” Just one farming family in Coonabarabran said they had lost 800 sheep to the deadly plant. Stephen and Louise Knight said the animals were missing when they counted up the stock at shearing time. “It was just devastating they weren't there when we went to get them. “The fire was a distressing thing to have happen, we lost so many stock, fences, pasture - and then for it to come back with a terrible noxious plant like this, it's awful and very distressing.” The plant, from the Swainsona family of desert peas native to Australia, has toxins which build up when sheep graze on it for extended periods. It attacks an enzyme involved in metabolism, ultimately crippling the animal’s central nervous system. There is no cure, Mr McKinnon said, other than to “get the animals off it in time”. “But if they've been on it too long the damage has been done and it doesn't repair to where it should be,” he said. - Independent.
Deep Sea Dwelling Melon Headed Whale Rescued Near Brunswick Heads, Australia
 |
| A melon headed whale beached itself at Brunswick Heads.Scott Rolph/Early Bird Photography |
Police and National Parks and Wildlife rangers attended the rescue of a melon headed whale on the beach south of Brunswick Heads yesterday morning.The rare coastal whale, more akin to a large dolphin, was found about 5.30am, 5km south of Brunswick Heads and was released back into deep water by local police.However, the marine mammal returned to shore soon after and beached itself again.A team of carers from National Parks and Wildlife, Ballina Seabird Rescue and Orrca Inc helped Seaworld veterinarians prepare the whale for transport in a special trailer to the Gold Coast aquarium.There the animal will undergo blood tests and treatment before being released back into the wild.Ballina Seabird Rescue spokesman Keith Williams, alias Capt Turtle, explained that the whale's sickness was not unlike Parvovirus in dogs.He said the whale would not end up as an amusement for Seaworld visitors. - The Northern Star.
Bizarre Fish Caught Off Pensacola Pier, Florida
 |
| FWC Facebook page |
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are working to identify a very unusual fish. The specimen was caught off a pier in Pensacola, and as of Friday, was on its way to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The fish has a long smooth tail with no fins, and looks almost prehistoric. Researchers will confirm the ID of the species, and take a tissue sample for DNA analysis. - WFLA.
Holy Mackerel, Fish Rain Down On Sri Lankan Village
More than 100 pounds of fish recently rained upon a village in western Sri Lanka, reported the BBC. The fish probably came from a nearby river after being scooped up by a storm. Locals collected the fish, many of which still were living and flopping around. Although it sounds like a Biblical curse, “fish rains” have occurred many times around the globe and have a natural explanation. Meteorologists believe strong updrafts in storms pull water from rivers, lakes and oceans. Fish, frogs and other animals come with the water, then fall along with the rain. Sometimes the animals survive the journey, other times they are shredded or encased in ice.
Yoro, Honduras, celebrates an annual festival to commemorate the frequent fish rains in that town, reported Hablemos, an El Savadoreño magazine. The fish are native to the nearby Aguán River. Yoreños collect the fish, eat some in soups or roasted in cork husks and preserve others in jars. In 2003, fish fell in Talanga, another Honduran town, reported El Universo. The first fish rain in Yoro occurred in the 19th century after Fr. Manuel de Jesús Subirana prayed for a miracle to end the starvation of Yoro’s citizens, according to local legend. After three days of prayer, the holy mackerel fell from the sky. In 2010, hundreds of spangled perch fell on Lajamanu, a small town on the edge of Australia’s Tanami Desert, reported the Daily Mail. Japan experienced a rain of fish and tadpoles in 2009, reported the Guardian. The BBC reported that numerous two-inch-long fish fell on Norfolk, England in 2000. - Discovery News.
Winter Floods Spark Invasion Of MONSTER Jellyfish In Britain
 |
| Scientists claim the recent winter's wet weather has caused the unusual occurrence of huge jellyfish[BNPS] |
Seaside visitors have recently been shocked to find giant barrel jellyfish - some the size of dustbin lids - washing up on the south coast. One Dorset resident has already spotted more than 30 of the marine animals in his local area. Scientists claim the recent winter's wet weather has caused the unusual occurrence of huge jellyfish around UK shores. With a number of coastal rivers in the South-West having burst their banks, high levels of nutrients washed into the sea during Britain's deluge. As a result the plankton, which jellyfish feed on, is so rich at the moment because of the amount of nutrients in the sea. After being lured here from their usual warmer feeding ares in the Mediterranean, the jellyfish, which measure over 3ft in diameter, are being left stranded on the shore by south westerly winds and strong tides. Weighing up to 35kg, barrel jellyfish can cause irritation to human skin.
Steve Trewhella, 50, a wildlife photographer, stumbled upon a live specimen as it floundered in the shallows off the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Wearing a dry suit, Steve used an underwater camera to capture it. Steve, from Wareham, has seen dozens of the giant creatures so far but believes that they are the tip of the iceberg. He said: "I have seen around 30 jellyfish in the area so far, including live ones. "They are very heavy creatures and they are continuing to become stranded because of the wind and tide. "They are being washed into the shallow water and when the tide goes back out, they are left there. "Jellyfish are a form of plankton and one of the possible reasons we are seeing such high numbers at the moment is because of the plankton bloom. "The sea water is very cloudy and there are a lot of nutrients in it which could be because of the unusual winter we had. "The sea has been very turbid and we had a lot of floodings in rivers, and as these feed into the sea, more nutrients may have been carried into it. "Although I think the plankton bloom and jellyfish are part of the natural process, this could be to do with it. "I think that the numbers we have seen so far are the tip of the iceberg and only a small percentage of how many really are in the harbour." - Express.
Young Seals, Sea Lions Starving In Record Numbers Along California Coast
 |
| A sea lion too young to eat fish is fed nutrients at Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle |
Rescuers are scrambling to save a record number of young sea lions and seals along California's northern and central coast while scientists work to understand why the animals are beaching themselves - and in one case swimming and waddling all the way to an almond orchard near Modesto. The emaciated and dehydrated pups are turning up along the 600 miles of coastline from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo monitored by the Marine Mammal Center. Many are too weak to move after washing ashore during their almost yearlong weaning. The group has more than 1,000 volunteers who respond to reports of strandings by alarmed beachgoers and others. They clean, feed and medicate the hundreds of animals filling a rescue center in the Marin Headlands. Lately, they've been busy - and burning through 1,000 pounds of herring a day. "The ones we are seeing are basically starving to death," said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary sciences at the center, which has field offices in Mendocino, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. "It's definitely a mystery. We're hoping it's not the new norm." As of Wednesday, the center had brought in 429 California sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals and fur seals this year. That's well above the 291 animals admitted by the same date last year and surpasses the record of 388 animals for the time period, set in 1998.
Changing fish stocks
Johnson said many of the animals may be struggling to find enough food because of changing fish stocks. Another suspected culprit is a huge recent bloom of toxic algae in Monterey Bay, which has killed sea birds and prompted public health officials to warn consumers not to eat certain types of fish and shellfish. Algae blooms, also known as red tides, have proliferated in recent years and produce a neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish, mussels, anchovies, sardines and herring, a primary food source for California's 300,000 sea lions. The neurotoxin, domoic acid, can cause memory loss, tremors, convulsions and death. "It was first diagnosed in the Marine Mammal Center in 1998," Johnson said. "There was a huge outbreak of sea lions having seizures. Now that we recognize it, the Public Health Department is looking for it because it affects humans, too." The record number of rescues comes a year after Southern California witnessed an almost 70 percent die-off of young sea lions - those born in summer 2012 - near the Channel Islands, where most American sea lions breed. Government scientists perplexed by the hundreds of starving pups washing up in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties declared an "unusual mortality event" and began an investigation. Previous die-offs were blamed on domoic acid, El Niño conditions and leptospirosis, a bacterial infection. Officials have not directly linked this year's strandings to the die-off. Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, said last year's stranded pups were around 6 to 8 months old - a few months shy of the 11-month point, when they typically venture out on their own. The seals and sea lions beaching themselves in recent months are around the age when they finish weaning after being born last summer. Rescuers say they usually see more stranded pups this time of year - just not in such vast numbers. "We probably won't have a whole understanding for a few years. In 2013, it was only the young animals that tried to do it on their own," Melin said. "Now this year there's lots of stranding going on, but those are a different age-class of pups."
Confused pup near Modesto
In early April, workers at a ranch near Modesto were dumbfounded when they came across a confused sea lion pup in the middle of an almond orchard. The pup, later named Hoppie, reportedly swam up the San Joaquin River before waddling almost a mile into the orchard about 100 miles from the ocean. Hoppie was rescued by the Marine Mammal Center, where he was nourished and treated for sores. The unlikely journey made headlines around the country, but experts stressed that it might have underscored a more serious problem for sea lions. With beach weather beginning to arrive in Northern and Central California, experts are urging people who come across a seal or sea lion pup that appears healthy to leave it alone. Often, a mother will spend her days seeking food, leaving the pup behind. Animals that appear to be ill, though, can be reported to the Marine Mammal Center's hotline, allowing trained volunteers to respond. If they determine the animal needs help, they will bring it to the rescue center, where crews of 30 people begin an aggressive rehabilitation regiment. "We rescue, rehabilitate and release them as quickly as we can," Johnson said.
Rescue Efforts
429 Sea lions and seals treated at Marine Mammal Center in 2014.
291 Marine mammals treated during same span last year.
388 Record number of animals treated during span, in 1998.
- SF Gate.
20,000 Ducks Drop Dead In Beijing Suburb, Bird Flu Suspected
In news that is sure to set you off your next planned Beijing duck banquet, over 20,000 ducks in a poultry farm in suburban Beijing have died mysteriously in a single week, setting off fears that they might be the victims of bird flu. The Beijing News reported this morning that tests were underway to determine what's causing the deaths, but results will not be available until tomorrow at the earliest. Ducks at six farms in the northeastern suburb of Pinggu began experiencing the die-off last week, and as of last night deaths were still increasing. One farmer alone says he's lost 7,200 of the 7,800 ducks on his farm since April 29. The same farmer said he was due to sell a good chunk of his flock on May 1, and in a little peek into the economics of raising ducks in Beijing, he said he typically sells each duck for between RMB 31 to RMB 33. The basic cost of raising one duck, he said, is about RMB 27. In a desperate attempt to stop the die-off, another of the farmers claims to have tried 30 different medicines on his ducks, all to no avail. - The Beijiner.
