At least 16,000 pigs and 1,000 ducks were found floating in a Chinese river according to AFP.
The ducks were retrieved out of a section of the river by local authorities in southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, the Xinhua News reported. They were buried in 50 plastic bags three meters underground, but the report did not explain how the ducks had died.
A further investigation is currently under way to "identify" any farm responsibility for the dumping.
The report comes just a few weeks after thousands of dead pigs were found floating in the Huangpu River in Shanghi, an incident that has caused a great deal of panic in the area.
The drinking water is reportedly still safe to consume according to local officials.
The sale of dead pig products is a huge business in China, but authorities have started "cracking down" on the practice according to The New York Post. This could be the reason why thousands of pigs were found in the river.
Animals that die from disease tend to still wind up in China's food supply chain if improperly disposed of, despite strict laws put in place to prevent the practice.
"The city's water territory has already basically finished the work of fishing out the floating dead pigs," a Shanghai government statement released late on Sunday said.
The ducks were found after a call was made complaining of a "horrible stench" in the river, and upon arrival authorities found the deceased ducks.
The ducks were in different stages of decay, so authorities have yet to determine how long the animals had been floating in the river. Some were wrapped in white bags, seemingly indicating that the birds didn't die of natural causes according to the Global Post.
Authorities have been collecting the dead pigs the last two weeks. Approximately 6,000 pigs were removed from upstream tributaries near Zhejiang.
The Shanghai River supplies approximately 22 percent of the city's drinking water according to Yahoo.
Related Articles:
$5 'Just Looking' Fee Introduced By Australian Grocery Store (PHOTO)
North Korea On High Alert, Preparing For Attack Against United States (VIDEO)
Buick Unveils Upgraded 2014 Regal, LaCrosse Sedan At New York Auto Show (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)
Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Logo Revealed, Year-Long Party Planned (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)
GM, Toyota, Nissan Receive 2013 Energy Star Partner Of The Year Awards (VIDEO)
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
