A large number of grebe birds have been found dead in Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea coast. According to state-run media outlet Azertac, the authorities are investigating their cause of death.
‘Thousands of birds’ have been found on the shores of the Caspian Sea near the village of Niazabad in Khachmaz. Citing local residents, Azertac has reported that their carcasses have been appearing for more than 20 days.
‘When I first noticed the dead birds, some of them were alive, but they were gathered in flocks and stood motionless. Even when we approached and touched them, they wouldn’t fly. Even if we picked them up and tossed them into the water, they would still get stuck and wash up on the shore’, local resident Anar Mikailov told Azertac.
He added that the bird’s carcasses scattered around five-six kilometres along the coastline.
Ecofront, a social media page specialising in Azerbaijani ecological affairs, wrote that bird carcasses were found in different places on the shore.
On 15 February, the page posted that ‘numerous dead or emaciated grebe have been found along shores along the Caspian Sea. Similar sightings were also reported on Shikhov Beach [located in Baku]’.
The page noted that these birds migrate to Azerbaijan in winter and are not eaten by humans.
‘The mass death of these birds, which are primarily found at sea and indicates the possible spread of some disease! However, this is a serious matter. Although the relevant authorities traditionally state that “samples are being taken and analysed”, we have not yet seen any such statements!’, wrote Ecofront.
The social media page called local residents to act responsibly and inform relevant state agencies about such findings on the coasts of the Caspian Sea.
Ecofront added photos which were taken by the Caspan shore in Absheron National Park and Shurabad, both located near Baku.
Azertac wrote that the Ecology Ministry and the Food Safety Agency were both investigating their cause of death.
‘The bird carcasses discovered in the coastal areas near the villages of Niyazabad and Nabran in the Khachmaz district were examined on site, and samples were collected. The results will be made public’, wrote Azertac.
The Food Safety Agency revealed on Monday that ‘no pathological changes’ were detected in the bird carcasses found in the coastal areas of Baku–Absheron and Sumgayit. It did, however, note that the deaths of birds on the shores of Khachmaz were still under investigation.
