Much like the 16,000 dead pigs found floating in a different part of the river, the discovery of over 1000 dead ducks in the Nanhe has raised some serious questions. Foremost amongst them is how they died and why they were in the river in the first place.

According to the Agence Free Press, the ducks were fished out of the river and disinfected before being “buried in plastic bags three meters underground“. Though the Chinese government has not yet offered any explanation for the matter, it was quick to  declare that the local water is now safe to drink in the hopes of allaying public fears.

However, as The Guardian noted earlier this week, the hogs may have been a consequence of the Chinese government attempting to better manage livestock practices in its rapidly-growing meat industry. Until recently, illegal butcher shops would buy dead pigs from…