Mass Animal Deaths: May 2012 (Part I)
(May 18) Researchers are linking northern Minnesota’s rapidly declining moose population with climate change, and preventing the iconic animal’s extinction may prove exceptionally difficult. Recent aerial surveys in the state’s northeastern corner found 4,230 animals, or less than half the number counted in 2006. (Source)
(May 17) Beach-goers check out a dead sea lion on the sand west of the Veterans Memorial Pier in Belmont Shore in Long Beach, California. (Source)
(May 17) A 27-foot adult male Minke whale, which has been dead for several weeks, washed up on the shore at Two Lights State in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. (Source)
(May 14) Hundreds of fish were found dead in the Bara Bangla reservoir in Nashik, Maharashtra, West India. (Source) Thousands of well grown dead fish were found floating in three ponds in Nanjundapuram village in Tamil Nadu, South India. (Source) (May 13) For the second time in a week, massive fish deaths were reported from Pathalam belt in river Periyar in Kochi, West India, triggering alarm and protests. File photo (Source)
(May 12) Dozens of dead fish have washed up to the bank at the south end of the Windmont Park lagoon in Kewanee, Illinois. The fish, all crappies, are small — most are only four or five inches long. (Source)
(May 11) A blue whale was struck dead by ship as it slept in the Indian Ocean. The dead whale later landed on the Assini Mafia beach in Sri Lanka, with wounds on the back and the mouth after being hit by a ship’s propeller. (Source)
(May 11) The appearance of thousands of dead sand eels washed up on beaches across Jersey and Guernsey in the UK at the weekend has left experts scratching their heads. (Source)
(May 11) An Atlantic sturgeon, one of the oldest and most endangered species, rare to this area was found dead on the stone beaches of Montauk Point State Park in New York. (Source) Bottom pic: A bizzare looking Atlantic sturgeon washed ashore Folly Beach, South Carolina in March 2012. (Source)
(May 11) Around 500 dead fish have been found in the picturesque Eichbaum lake near the northern port city in Germany. Phosphate from urine contributes to a build-up of blue-green algae and apparently poisoning the fish. (Source)
(May 10) Residents at the south end of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada, are holding their noses after thousands of dead fish washed up on the shore near Keswick over the past week. (Source)
(May 9) Peru’s northern beaches have been declared off-limits as death counts continue to rise and scientists scramble to pin down what is causing the mysterious deaths of thousands of birds and dolphins. Since March some 4,000 birds, mostly pelicans and boobies, have been found dead along a 200-kilometer (120 mile) stretch of northern coastline reaching up to the border with Ecuador along with at least 900 dolphins. (Source) Note: There is a large discrepancy (900 vs 5,000) between the official count and the dead dolphins reported by the local press.
Alarm as Peru Pelican and Dolphin Deaths Rise; Mysterious Brown Pelican Deaths in Florida
(May 9) The unsightly pile of dead fish causes a stench at Skimino Creek off the York River in Virginia. Every year for the last 10 years, hundreds of fish swim up there and die. (Source)
(May 9) Lake Leota in Rock County, Wisconsin, is being monitored after several dozen dead fish were discovered along the shoreline. (Source)
(May 7) A 8-m whale washed ashore Tateyama City coast, which faces the Pacific Ocean in Chiba Prefecture in Japan, this morning. Last month on the same day, another whale was found dead the same coast. Two days ago, the carcass of a 2.6-meter long whale was found on the eastern coast of Shimane Prefecture, which faces the Sea of Japan or the East Sea. It is unusual because this has never happened before along this coast.
(May 7) Hundreds of dead fish were found floating in East Longmeadow’s Heritage Park in Massachusets. Officials said it was caused by low oxygen levels. (Source)
(May 6) Fish have been dying in large numbers along Kuwait bay. This incident serves as an indicator of pollution or a major imbalance in marine environment, instilling fear of a possible fish kill. (Source)
(May 5) A dead whale, believed to be about 10 metres long, was found floating 28 kilometres off Fujairah in United Arab Emirates. (Source)
(May 4) A white-sided dolphin, 8-and-a-half feet long and weighs 407 pounds, washed up on a Sagaponack beach Thursday, one of two cetaceans to be discovered dead on South Fork beaches in New York State this week. (Source)
(May 4) The Spanish Environmental Ministry is investigating potential causes behined numerous dead fish appearing on the same day (2nd May 2012) at two separate locations in Bay. One sighting was at Camp Bay in Gibraltar, the other a few kilometres away in the Rio de Palmones area in Spain. (Source)
(May 4) A large number of dead birds were found on Thursday in a pool of waste water eminating from the controversial Talvivaara mine in Sotkamo, Finland. (Source)
(May 4) A school of fish was found dead and floating at Muttar river in Kerala, India, on Thursday morning, creating panic in the area. Environmentalists alleged that massive fish kill happened because industries flushed out waste in the wake of the heavy summer rain over the last few days. (Source)
(May 3) Over 50 thousand fish in a pond near Mai Ke industrial area in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died overnight on Monday. The dead fish are mostly concentrated in the northern corner of the pond, and half of the body of water is now covered with rotting fish. (Source)
(May 3) Over 30 rare finless Yangtze river porpoises have been found dead in China within the last two months. Thousands of dolphins have been found dead in the past two years. With their numbers greatly decreasing, The World Wildlife Fund is concerned that these rare animals are moving closer to extinction. (Source)
(May 3) Dead fish are washing up along the shores of Lake Houston in Texas, and people who live nearby say they’ve never seen or smelled anything like it. The dead fish are appearing mainly on the north side of the lake. Lake Houston is the primary source of drinking water for the Bayou City. (Source)
(May 3) The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is investigating the deaths of about 150 white bass in a lake in Perry County. File photo (Source) In September 2011, thousands of white bass were found along the Arkansas River in Little Rock. In late December 2010, thousands of freshwater drum and yellow bass died in the Arkansas River. A month later, 500 more drum died. (Source)
(May 3) An adult pygmy sperm whale, which was was 9 feet long and 800 pounds, was discovered dead 500 feet from the shore near 901 Dune Road in West Hampton Dunes in New York State on Wednesday night. (Source) A dolphin was also found dead on one of the Long Island Beaches. (Source)
(May 3) A dolphin was found dead in a drainage ditch about 50 miles north of Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California. (Source)
(May 3) An eight foot long white-beaked dolphin has been found washed up on Long Beach in Whitstable, Kent, UK. (Source)
(May 2) Locals in Izmir’s Tahtalı district in Western Turkey are in a panic due to the appearance of dead fish in the area. Many dead fish have washed up on shore around the village due to waves and wind. (Source)
(May 1) A beached gray whale was found on Kellogg Beach in Crescent City, California. The male gray is approximately 30 feet long and appears to have been dead for a while, although he does not have the odor of decay. (Source)
(May 1) A five-meter-long whale was found dead last Friday at northern water area in Changyi City, east China’s Shandong Province.(Source)
(May 1) Dead sea turtles and dolphins continue to wash up along Mississippi beaches. The 99th dead turtle for this year was found recently. During the first four months of 2011, 186 turtles washed up in the state. File photo (Source)
(May 1) The carcass of what is believed to be a humpback whale, had to be dragged more than seven miles off St David’s Head, Bermuda yesterday so it did not land in the East End. (Source)
Mass Fish Die-off: China (April 2012)
Mass Fish Die-off: China (May 2012)
India and Pakistan: Sudden Spike in Fish Die-off
Mass Animal Deaths: April 2012 (Part II)
Mass Animal Deaths: April 2012
Large whales wash ashore: Another sign of our dying oceans (Part II)
Large whales wash ashore: Another sign of our dying oceans
