In just five days, from September 3 to 16, more than 50 wild ducks and eight swans died in the Kalovita channel. The cause of the poisoning is not yet known. At first, it was suspected that the birds were deliberately poisoned, but it seems that the cause of their death was polluted water. According to Zoran Janković, from the “Eco-Pančevački rit” citizens’ association, the water in this canal is of the fifth degree.
– This means that there is no life in such water, there is no oxygen. But what is symptomatic is that such quality of water is in a length of 200 meters. Only on that stretch did we discover dead birds. There were no dead ducks or swans in front of and behind that part of Kalovita near the street – says Janković.
He points out that the specimens of the swans have been sent to the Veterinary Institute for autopsy and that the results are awaited.
– What we know for now is that there was no poison in the water, so now we are waiting to see what the autopsy will show. Is it poisoning or bird flu virus? What made us even sadder was that a whole family of swans died – a male and a female two or three years old, who hatched here, and six of their chicks – says Janković.
The first dead birds were noticed by members of the Citizens’ Association “Kotež” and informed the members of “Eco-Pančevački rit” about it. The police, the prosecutor’s office, the Veterinary Administration, the water inspection and the Ministry of Environmental Protection were informed about this poisoning.
This is one of the biggest poisonings in recent times. The last mass poisoning was in the settlement of Popova bara two years ago when 80 pigeons died from poisoned corn.
