Massive dead animals in Peru may be due to increased heat

The Peruvian government yesterday announced that rising Pacific water temperatures could cause about 5,000 seabirds and nearly 900 dolphins to die in the north coast in the past few months.

>>>Massive seabirds die in Peru

The bodies of pelicans, dolphins and a number of other seabirds continuously drifted to Peru's northern coasts in the past few months. Peruvian government scientists are racing against time to find out what causes them to die mass. Initially, officials suspected the virus could be the culprit, but non-governmental organizations said oil exploration was the cause.

Determines about 5,000 pelicans found on the northern beaches of Peru.

Carlos Yaipen, the representative of ORCA, said the noise from the detectors killed marine animals. According to Yaipen, ORCA examined 30 animal corpses and found their ears broken, many internal organs were damaged by sound effects.

Yesterday, Peruvian Environment Deputy Minister Gabriel Quijandria said that it is possible that dolphins and seabirds die due to warmer seawater, AFP reported. When the temperature in the sea water rises, the food chain of marine animals disturbs, making them not get enough food to survive.

The process of examining 877 dolphins has not ended, but Quijandria said they did not die from heavy metal or bacteria contamination.

'The same phenomenon can spread to other coastal areas, causing the number of birds and other marine animals to continue to die,' he warned.

Abraham Levy, a weather expert in the US, said that Pacific waters have increased recently due to the El Nino phenomenon.