As you're likely aware, there's been a pretty bizarre spate of mass animal deaths reported around the world. First, it was the thousands of birds that fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Year's Eve. Some 100,000 fish also washed up on the shores of a river 100 miles away. Birds fell from the sky in Louisiana and Kentucky, too. Two million fish washed up dead in Chesapeake Bay. 50 birds fell from the sky in Sweden. 100 tons of fish washed ashore in Brazil. 40,000 crabs were found dead in England. All of this carnage has left people around the world wondering the same thing: What the hell is going on?
Unfortunately, there's no good answer. The explanations offered up so far run the gamut -- from being dismissed as a series of unrelated, unfortunate coincidences to the suggestion that the deaths are a result of unusually cold weather to full-bore conspiracy theories that claim the US government is behind it all -- but nothing conclusive has been determined. Here's a closer look at the various incidents:
Thousands of Dead Birds Falling from the Sky
The AP reports that "Environmental service workers finished picking up the carcasses on Sunday of about 2,000 red-winged blackbirds that fell dead from the sky in a central Arkansas town." The blame? Still open to speculation (though the loud-noise theory has gained traction):
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said Saturday the birds showed physical trauma, and speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail." The commission said that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress.
40,000 Crabs Wash Ashore in Kent
The Daily Mirror reports that "More than 40,000 Devil crabs - also known as Velvet swimming crabs - were found strewn along beaches in Thanet along with dead starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones." Scientists have blamed the death on colder than usual waters, which may have induced hypothermia in the sea life.
100 Tons of Fish Dead in Brazil
According to the Brazilian news outlet ParanaOnline, "A survey conducted by the Federation of Fishermen's Colony of Paran�, Paranagu� on the coast of the state, indicates that at least 100 tons of fish (sardine, croaker and catfish) have turned up dead since last Thursday off the coast of Parana." The fish have washed ashore, and no cause has been determined yet.
All in all, these incidents have led to a search for a unified theory that explains the phenomena -- what could be killing all of these animals? The conspiracy theorists that point to the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP (a government research project that investigates the ionosphere that's been blamed for many a mysterious event) as the culprit certainly don't have me convinced. But the patchwork, "great big coincidence" theory leaves something wanting as well.
Though the phenomenon may indeed be partly the result of self-fulfilling prophecy; the Washington Post points out that "when one news report about dead birds becomes big news, a few dead birds anywhere in the world becomes big news." After all, sudden mass animal deaths do occur more often than most of us realize: "About 500 million to 1 billion birds are killed every year and mass deaths have been noted about 16 times in the past 20 years," the PBS NewsHour reports. Even so, there's plenty to chew on here, and you can't blame the conspiracy theorists for tackling this one head on.
More on Mysterious Animal Deaths
http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&source=hp&biw=991&bih=522&q=animal+deaths+around+the+world&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=animal+deaths&fp=cf54654c1bd9888e
Hundreds of dead sparrows in Rotorua, NZ may have been poisoned - SPCA
------------------------------------------
Hundreds of Auckland birds die as botulism thrives
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10700336
Second US state experiences mass bird kill
By Seth Borenstein, Chuck Bartels, Kelly P. Kissel and Janet McConnaugheyJust a few days after 3,000 blackbirds fell from the sky in Arkansas, about 500 birds dropped to their death in Louisiana, littering a stretch of highway near Baton Rouge. It wasn't clear if the deaths were linked, but such massive wildlife kills are far from uncommon.
Biologists were trying to figure out what killed the birds in rural Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. About 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the north, in the small town of Beebe in central Arkansas, scientists said celebratory fireworks on New Year's Eve likely sent thousands of discombobulated blackbirds into such a tizzy that they crashed into homes, cars and each other before plummeting to their deaths. Still, officials acknowledged it's unlikely they'll ever pinpoint a cause with certainty.
Wildlife officials in both Arkansas and Louisiana were sending carcasses to researchers at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and the University of Georgia, but it's not clear the bird deaths were related.
In Beebe, New Year's revelers spent the holiday weekend cleaning up between 4,000 and 5,000 dead red-winged blackbirds. Some speculated that bad weather was to blame. Others said one confused bird could have led the group in a fatal plunge.
A few spooked schoolkids guessed the birds committed mass suicide.
"There was probably some physical reason, but I doubt anyone will ever know what it was," said Thurman Booth, the state's wildlife services director.
The birds were the second mass wildlife death in Arkansas in recent days. Last week, about 83,000 dead and dying drum fish washed up along a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Beebe. Wildlife officials say the fish deaths are not related to the dead birds, and that because mainly one species of fish was affected, it is likely they were stricken by an illness. Full test results could take up to a month.
The US Geological Service's website lists about 90 mass deaths of birds and other wildlife from June through Dec. 12. Five list deaths of at least 1,000 birds and another 12 show at least 500 dead birds.
The largest was near Houston, Minnesota, where about 4,000 water birds died between Sept. 6 and Nov. 26 from infestations of various parasites.
Red-winged blackbirds are among North America's most abundant birds, with somewhere between 100 million and 200 million nationwide, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York.
- AP
Mass death of blackbirds
Wildlife officials are trying to determine what caused 3000 blackbirds to die and fall from the sky over an Arkansas town over a 2km area.
Paranormal_Research - Scientific Data,
Health Conspiracies & Anything Strange
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paranormal_Research
Subscribe:... Paranormal_Research-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Educational Alternative Medicine Web site:
http://ElementsOfHealth.webs.com
GREAT PRICES on energy products Plus Green Calcium Bentonite Clay Internal/External http://www.HolisticEnergyStore.com/
THE OPEN LINE NEWSPAPER, HEALTH NEWS, SPIRITUAL, ENVIRONMENT, ETC. http://WWW.THEOPENLINE.ORG
RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FOR CHRONIC PAIN, PTSD + OTHER ISSUES THAT TROUBLE YOU. http://relaxationheals.webs.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.