The 'goose rain' poured into the American city

Lightning may be the main reason why dozens of geese die on their way north.

Authorities found 51 dead geese in a parking lot in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA, Fox News reported yesterday. They were discovered after intense hail. However, no hail killed these geese on their way north, according to Idaho Fish and Wildlife Service (IDFG). There is the possibility of high lightning strikes that cause them to fall from the sky.

Picture 1 of The 'goose rain' poured into the American city
There is the possibility of high lightning strikes that cause them to fall from the sky.

"I don't think it's due to hail or wind. Hail causes injuries but they will still live, and all of these geese are dead. When the staff arrives, there's no longer any movement," James Brower, coordinator at IDFG, commented.

The number of birds including 48 snow geese and three anser rossii geese , concentrated in an area of ​​more than 90m radius, according to Jacob Berl, an employee at IDFG. This also shows that lightning may be the cause of the incident. When operating some goose corpses, Berl found their lungs hurt.

Wildlife guards sometimes receive notification of mass deaths of animals, but often due to infection. Brower has never met any case like this time for nearly 8 years working here. Many factors such as time, wind, flight direction have contributed to the incident.

The incident does not affect the number of individuals in the region, Brower said. Idaho is a familiar place where birds fly when migrating north in the spring. Up to 60,000 snow geese, white-breasted geese and other birds visit the Wildlife Management Area during their journey to the north, according to IDFG. Experts will conduct an autopsy to better understand the cause of the geese's death.