A bird pestilence began in the Rostov region: hundreds of corpses along the shores of the lake

Zoologist: “There was a problem with field poisoning in the region”

A pestilence of birds has begun in the Rostov region. The shore of Lake Manych-Gudilo is strewn with dead ducks and other birds. Why they died is still unknown. This is not the first case of mass death of birds on the lake; two weeks ago, traces of zinc phosphide, a deadly poison for rodents, were found in the carcasses of ducks.

Manych-Gudilo is a large salt lake in the south of Russia in Kalmykia, the Stavropol Territory and the Rostov Region. In September, residents of the Salsky district of the southeastern part of the Rostov region began to report on social networks about the mass death of birds. “The scale is just huge,” one of the eyewitnesses says in the video. A lot of mallards, red-headed pochards, a gray duck and even very young drakes died. “What this is connected with is unknown,” the author of the video notes.

A similar situation on the same lake was recorded in mid-August. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Stavropol Territory, the death of 320 ducks and 160 swamp-meadow game was documented. Then the bird carcasses were taken to the Stavropol Regional Veterinary Laboratory. The verdict was disappointing – zinc phosphide was found in the corpses.

“One of the likely causes of animal deaths could be pesticide poisoning. Last year, thousands of birds and animals suffered from the irrational use of drugs, including banned ones, the population of the red-listed common crane has significantly decreased, and the environmental consequences are beyond economic calculation,” the website of the North Caucasus Interregional Directorate of Rosselkhoznadzor says.

An analysis of data from the Saturn Federal State System for the Traceability of Pesticides and Agrochemicals showed that in August, pesticides were used in rare cases for desiccation – the forced dehydration of crop tissues. At the same time, the number of rodents did not cause concern and did not require chemical control methods.

It is too early to talk about what specifically caused the current pestilence of birds, Alexander Lipkovich, candidate of biological sciences, deputy director for scientific work of the Rostovsky reserve, notes in a conversation with MK.

“There is conflicting information,” the zoologist explains. – According to the unofficial version, it could be bird flu. But I cannot comment because there is no reliable data yet. There was a problem with poisoning in the fields in the region. This is agriculture. The grain business is not controlled by anyone.”