600 dead #rats, plus dead #fish and #birds found washed up on beach in #Westport, #NewZealand

Hundreds of dead rats that washed up on a West Coast beach, have been removed

The carcasses of hundreds of dead rats that mysteriously washed up on a West Coast beach on Saturday, have been cleaned up.

A spokesperson for the Department of Conservation (DoC) said on Sunday afternoon about 600 rat carcasses had been removed from Westport’s North Beach and a follow-up inspection did not find any more carcasses above the high tide lines. Dead fish and birds in the area have also been removed.

The cause of the animals’ death still remains unknown. Samples from the rats were being urgently tested, but according to the spokesperson, the results will only be available Monday late afternoon at the earliest.

Courtesy of stuff.co.nz

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