If the information on this page causes you concern regarding the future, then see what must I do to be saved?
Below is a list of worldwide mass animal deaths for 2016, with pages also for mass die offs from the previous 5 years. There are animals dying all over the world today in huge numbers, due to the polluted state of the sea and air. Millions of Fish and massive numbers of whales and dolphins are washing ashore dead. Birds are falling dead out of the sky, and millions of poultry are dying from avian flu. The animals of the land like cattle are also dying in large numbers from disease. Although animals and fish have been dying all throughout history, we have not seen the massive consistant numbers that we are seeing today. Please remember! This is just one of the MANY signs of the last days.
In many of these events people from all walks of life are saying that they have "never seen anything like this before".
INFO: 970 MILLION Monarch butterflies - a major pollinator - have been killed since 1990 in America by Monsanto's herbicide, wiping out 90 percent of America's total population of Monarchs. (source)
INFO: MASSIVE die off that went unreported in 2011. MILLIONS of sea urchins and sea stars die suddenly along 60 miles of California coast in what was 'one of the most unusual and dramatic die-offs marine biologists have ever recorded.' (source and here)
Hosea 4:1-3 ...'Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.'
Revelation 11:18 ...'And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.'
MASS ANIMAL DEATH LIST 203 Known MASS Death Events in 59 Countries (or Territory)
3rd May 2016 - 2,600 Turtles and thousands of sea birds found dead during past 6 months in southern Brazil. Link
3rd May 2016 - Hundreds of TONS of fish suddenly die in Lake Toba, Indonesia. Link
2nd May 2016 - 200 TONS of fish found dead in a lake in Alfenas, Brazil. Link
2nd May 2016 - Thousands of dead jellyfish found washed ashore, 'a rare phenomenon' along
Odisha coast in India. Link
2nd May 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in a lake in Florida, America. Link
30th April 2016 - Millions of dead molluscs found washed up on beaches, 'a disaster' in Los Lagos, Chile. Link
30th April 2016 - 14 TONS of dead fish found in a lake in Xiamen, China. Link
29th April 2016 - 80,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Al Biqa, Lebanon. Link
28th April 2016 - 100+ TONS of clams have died in central Vietnam. Link
28th April 2016 - 80,000 Chickens killed from fire at a farm in Connecticut, America. Link
26th April 2016 - 720,000 birds killed due to avian flu in various parts of Iraq. Link
25th April 2016 - 65 TONS of fish have died in the waters of Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Link
25th April 2016 - 40 TONS of fish have died in a lake in Nalgonda district, India. Link
23rd April 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish wash up on a beach in Cattlewash, Barbados. Link
23rd April 2016 - 70+ TONS of dead fish found in a river in Magdalena Department, Colombia. Link
23rd April 2016 - Massive die off of fish in a river in Hulunbuir, China. Link
22nd April 2016 - 1 TON of shrimp and other fish have died in a pond in Phuket, Thailand. Link
22nd April 2016 - 200,000 fish have died in fish farms in Taiping, Malaysia. Link
21st April 2016 - 50 dolphins found stranded, 10 dead on a beach in Cambutal, Panama. Link
21st April 2016 - Hundreds of fish die in a lake, 'whole lake is dead' in Alberta, Canada. Link
21st April 2016 - Massive die off of fish, 'never seen this before' in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.Link
21st April 2016 - Hundreds of fish die in a lake, 'never seen this before' in Princeton, New Jersey,America. Link
21st April 2016 - 190,000 birds killed, 62 farms closed, due to avian flu in Plateau, Nigeria. Link
21st April 2016 - Thousands of dead fish found in a lake in Yuriria, Mexico. Link
20th April 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found washed up on a beach in Tenerife, Spain. Link
20th April 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in the Bobos river in Mexico. Link
20th April 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up on a beach in Cukurova, Turkey. Link
19th April 2016 - 23,000 chickens killed due to avian flu in Monywa, Myanmar. Link
19th April 2016 - 100 dead turtles found in Lam Luk Ka, Thailand. Link
18th April 2016 - 4,000 TONS of sardines wash up in Araucania Chile. Link
18th April 2016 - 48 dead turtles have washed up along the Gulf Coast this year, 'scientists puzzled' in Colombia. Link
15th April 2016 - Millions of fish 'suddenly die' in a river in Mimika Regency, Indonesia. Link
14th April 2016 - 1,000 cattle dead due to 'high nitrate grasslands' in Boyaca, Colombia. Link
12th April 2016 - 79 dead turtles found on beaches in Jalisco, Mexico. Link
12th April 2016 - Thousands of dead sword fish found on Lopes Mendes sands in Brazil. Link
11th April 2016 - Mass die off of fish in a reservoir in Omsk, Russia. Link
11th April 2016 - Thousands of fish are dead in a river 'due to drought' in Lampang, Thailand. Link
9th April 2016 - 1,000 pigs dead 'due to gas mining pollution' in Chinchilla, Australia. Link
9th April 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up on Amouli Beach in Samoa. Link
8th April 2016 - 100,000 lbs of dead fish found in a reservoir in Sifangtai District, China. Link
8th April 2016 - Dozens of dead birds found along a road in Fairfax County, Virginia, America. Link
8th April 2016 - Masses of dead fish appear in a pond in Fortaleza, Brazil. Link
7th April 2016 - 5,000 birds killed by storm in Jessore, Bangladesh. Link
6th April 2016 - 18,000 birds killed due to new outbreak of avian flu in Plateau province, Nigeria. Link
5th April 2016 - Thousands of fish killed due to sewage leek in a lake in Tennessee, America. Link
4th April 2016 - 700+ dead turtles have been found during the past 2 months along coast of Guerrero, Mexico. Link
4th April 2016 - Hundreds of thousands of dead fish found in a river in Kazuo, China. Link
4th April 2016 - 5 dolphins, plus other marine animals found dead on beaches in San Bernardo del Viento, Colombia. Link
4th April 2016 - 1,700 Geese killed due to avian flu in Taibao City, Taiwan. Link
4th April 2016 - Thousands of fish have died in a reservoir in Eskikadin, Turkey. Link
2nd April 2016 - 80 turtles found dead on a beach in Paradip, India. Link
2nd April 2016 - 11,000 birds killed due to avian flu in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Link
31st March 2016 - Thousands of dead jellyfish wash ashore on Hallandale Beach in Florida,
America. Link
31st March 2016 - 61 dead dolphins, whales and porpoise have washed up during past 3 months in Cornwall, England. Link
31st March 2016 - 8 dead dolphins have washed ashore this past week in Mississippi, America.Link
30th March 2016 - Hundreds of fish die in a pond, reason unknown, in Pune, India. Link
29th March 2016 - 68 wild boars found dead due to disease in a forest in Lukhovitsy, Russia. Link
29th March 2016 - 167,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Katsina, Sokoto and Bauchi provinces, Nigeria. Link
29th March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up in Cape Hillsborough, Queensland, Australia. Link
29th March 2016 - 100 dead birds found along I-5 in Redding, California, America. Link
28th March 2016 - Large die off of fish along the estuary in Poneloya, Nicaragua. Link
28th March 2016 - Hundreds of Thousands of dead fish along Indian River Lagoon in Florida, America. Link
28th March 2016 - 19 dead dolphins found washed up along the coast of Georgia. Link
27th March 2016 - 11,000 ducks killed due to avian flu in Icheon, South Korea. Link
25th March 2016 - Massive die off of fish in a lake in Nanhu District, China. Link
25th March 2016 - 5,000 fish die in a fish farm in Labuan, Malaysia. Link
24th March 2016 - Massive die off of fish 'due to unknown disease' in Maniema, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Link
23rd March 2016 - Thousands of TONS of oysters die off in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Link
23rd March 2016 - Tens of Thousands of fish die in a lake in Krabi, Thailand. Link
22nd March 2016 - Dozens of dead birds found along a road in Elmira, New York, America. Link
20th March 2016 - 350,000+ cattle dead due to cold weather in the Mongolian Steppes, Mongolia. Link
20th March 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish appear in a canal in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Link
19th March 2016 - Thousands of fish dying in fish farms 'due to heat' in Taiping, Malaysia. Link
19th March 2016 - Hundreds of fish dead in a lake in Devarabeesanahalli, India. Link
19th March 2016 - Die off of fish found washed up on a beach in Calodyne, Mauritius. Link
18th March 2016 - 10 dead sea lions found this week on beaches of Vancouver Island, Canada. Link
17th March 2016 - Large amount of dead fish found washed up on a beach in Rayong, Thailand.
Link
17th March 2016 - Large die off of fish along 10km of coastline in Kimberley, Australia. Link
16th March 2016 - Hundreds of dead crows found near Battle Creek in Michigan, America. Link
16th March 2016 - UPDATE: sea bird die off now up to 36,000 in Alaska, America. Link
16th March 2016 - Thousands of birds dead due to avian flu in Banyuwangi, Indonesia. Link
15th March 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish washing up at Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach in Florida, America. Link
15th March 2016 - Thousands of fish and 6 crocodiles dead as river runs dry in Yadgir, India. Link
13th March 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found washed ashore along McPhee Reservoir in Colorado, America. Link
12th March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish found in Lower Lake Mary in Arizona, America. Link
12th March 2016 - 16,880 chickens killed due to outbreak of avian flu in Changhua, Taiwan. Link
12th March 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in a lake in Oran, Algeria. Link
11th March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up on shores of a lagoon in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Link
10th March 2016 - 3 rare whales found dead on Northland beach in New Zealand. Link
9th March 2016 - 160,000+ birds killed due to new avian flu outbreaks in Plateau and Kano, Nigeria. Link
8th March 2016 - MASSIVE - 21 MILLION+ salmon dead due to algae bloom in Chiloe and Aysen region, Chile. Link
8th March 2016 - 7+ TONS of dead fish found in a river in Tres Lagoas, Brazil. Link
8th March 2016 - 1 MILLION+ sea slugs wash up dead on a beach in Phuket, Thailand. Link
7th March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up in Bengaluru Lakes, India. Link
7th March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish appear in the Bobos river in Mexico. Link
6th March 2016 - Massive fish kill, 'biggest ever' in a river in Queensland, Australia. Link
4th March 2016 - Large number of dead sea birds washing up on beaches in Volusia, Florida,America. Link
4th March 2016 - 7 TONS of dead fish have washed up in Cape Town, South Africa. Link
3rd March 2016 - 28 dead dolphins found during the past 2 months along the west coast of Ireland. Link
3rd March 2016 - 23 dolphins found dead on beaches south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Link
3rd March 2016 - Several TONS of dead fish found in the Chicamocha River, Colombia. Link
2nd March 2016 - Massive die off of fish along 7km of river in Periyar, India. Link
2nd March 2016 - Hundreds of fish die in Devigere lake, India. Link
1st March 2016 - 860,000 cattle dead due to severe drought and rainstorms in Bolivia. Link
1st March 2016 - Thousands of dead fish have washed up in a lake in Victoria, Australia. Link
29th February 2016 - 16 dead whales have washed up dead during past couple of months in Baja California, Mexico. Link
29th February 2016 - 400,000 salmon dead due to 'lice treatment and disease' in fish farms in Norway. Link
29th February 2016 - 12,000+ chickens and geese killed due to avian flu in Taiwan. Link
26th February 2016 - 800 dead ducks removed from reservoirs in Caceres, Spain. Link
26th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead sea lions have washed up, during past few months along the coast of Chile and Peru. Link
25th February 2016 - 40+ Olive Ridley turtles found dead along the coast of Odisha, India. Link
25th February 2016 - 30+ TONS of dead fish removed from a lake in Ningde, China. Link
23rd February 2016 - 100,000 cattle dead due to drought throughout Colombia. Link
23rd February 2016 - 41,000 birds dead due to another outbreak of avian flu in Taiwan. Link
22nd February 2016 - 129 dead sea turtles have washed up this month in Clearwater, Florida,America. Link
22nd February 2016 - 20 TONS of fish die in Lake Maninjau, Indonesia. Link
22nd February 2016 - Massive die off of fish along a river in Surat, India. Link
21st February 2016 - Dozens of dead birds found along a highway in Ohio, America. Link
20th February 2016 - 6 dead dolphins have washed up this year in Yucatan, Mexico. Link
19th February 2016 - 118 turtles found dead along the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Link
18th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead sea birds found washed up in Trujillo, Peru. Link
18th February 2016 - Hundreds of birds fall dead from sky in Odessa, Ukraine. Link
17th February 2016 - MASSIVE - 1000+ TONS of fish have died in fish farms along the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Link
17th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in a lake in Chapultepec, Mexico. Link
16th February 2016 - Tens of thousands of cattle dead, due to drought in Southern Zimbabwe. Link
16th February 2016 - 445 dead turtles found washed up along beaches in Guerrero, Mexico. Link
16th February 2016 - Large die off of fish along the waterways of Karatay in Turkey. Link
15th February 2016 - Thousands of fish are dying along the Porce River in Colombia. Link
13th February 2016 - MASSIVE - 150,000 penguins die after giant iceberg becomes grounded in Antarctica. Link
11th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish wash up on beaches in Mauritius. Link
11th February 2016 - Thousands of fish continue to die along the Nile Delta in Egypt. Link
11th February 2016 - Dozens of monkeys are dying off, 'a mystery' in the forests of Nicaragua. Link
11th February 2016 - Thousands of dead fish are washing up on beaches in Fiji. Link
11th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in the waters of Oosterhout, Netherlands. Link
11th February 2016 - 5,800 chickens killed due to avain flu in Tainan, Taiwan. Link
11th February 2016 - Masses of dead fish wash up on beaches in Montevideo, Uruguay. Link
10th February 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up in the waters of New Caledonia. Link
10th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead eels found in a creek in Marlborough, New Zealand. Link
10th February 2016 - Dozens of dead sea birds, plus other marine creatures found on a beach in Malibu, America. Link
9th February 2016 - Dozens of cattle dying off due to unknown disease in Warrap State, Sudan. Link
6th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish wash ashore 'due to red tide' in Florida, America. Link
5th February 2016 - MILLIONS of Oysters are dead due to disease in southern Tasmania, Australia. Link
4th February 2016 - Dozens of birds suddenly die in Wichita, Kansas, America. Link
4th February 2016 - Dozens of Pelicans dying, reason unknown on Grand Isle, Louisiana, America. Link
4th February 2016 - 6 dead whales have washed ashore along the coast of East England. Link
4th February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish wash ashore, 'sparking fear' in La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago. Link
4th February 2016 - Massive die off of fish in a lagoon in Marica, Brazil. Link
3rd February 2016 - 8 more dead whales found along coast of Friedrichskoog, Germany. Link
3rd February 2016 - 700,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Kurdistan. Link
3rd February 2016 - 41,000 chickens have died from Newcastle disease in Luzon, Philippines.Link
3rd February 2016 - 36 TONS of fish have died in farms, 'due to read tide' in Hong Kong. Link
3rd February 2016 - Dozens of dead turtles found along beaches in Tecpan de Galeana, Mexico.Link
3rd February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in ponds in Queensland, Australia. Link
3rd February 2016 - 11,500 Chickens killed due to avian flu in Changhua County, Taiwan. Link
1st February 2016 - 1 Whale and 3 dolphins wash up dead along Oregon-Washington Coast, America. Link
1st February 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found in a lake in Texas, America. Link
1st February 2016 - Mass deaths of fish in Shing Mun River, Hong Kong. Link
1st February 2016 - Masses of dead fish discovered along 1km of river in Hubei province, China. Link
31st January 2016 - Large die off of fish, 'never seen before' in Snake River, Washington, America. Link
30th January 2016 - 500+ camels have died from 'mysterious disease' in Marsabit, Kenya. Link
30th January 2016 - 19+ TONS of dead fish found in a lake in Goias, Brazil. Link
29th January 2016 - 2.5 Million birds killed due to avian flu in 18 states of Nigeria. Link
28th January 2016 - 22,000+ sea birds found dead, 'biggest die off ever recorded', along beaches
in Alaska, America. Link
28th January 2016 - Hundreds of sea birds found dead on a beach on Sea of Galilee, Israel. Link
28th January 2016 - 8,900+ Buffalo and cows killed by cold in Northern Vietnam. Link
28th January 2016 - HUNDREDS OF TONS of fish have died in farms in Ha Tinh province,Vietnam. Link
27th January 2016 - 400 TONS of fish have died due to cold in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. Link
27th January 2016 - Thousands of fish have died in a reservoir in Nevada, America. Link
26th January 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, America. Link
25th January 2016 - Thousands of chickens killed by 'mysterious disease' in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Link
25th January 2016 - Thousands of dead starfish are washing ashore at Port St. Joe, Florida,
America. Link
25th January 2016 - 1000+ swans dead due to avian flu in Hunan, China. Link
25th January 2016 - Hundreds of thousands of fish found dead in a lake in Samut Prakan,Thailand. Link
21st January 2016 - 24,000 Fowls, 250 Peacocks, and other birds killed due to avain flu in Adamawa, Nigeria. Link
21st January 2016 - 300 dead turtles found on a beach in Odisha, India. Link
20th January 2016 - 400,000 birds killed due to outbreak of avian flu in Indiana, America. Link
18th January 2016 - 7 dead whales found along the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Link
18th January 2016 - Mass fish kill in a river in Eloor, India. Link
17th January 2016 - 12 sperm whales wash up dead on islands in Netherlands and Germany. Link
17th January 2016 - Large die off of fish spotted along the Nile in Rosetta, Egypt. Link
16th January 2016 - 8,000+ birds killed due to avian flu in Tripura, India. Link
15th January 2016 - MASSIVE - 10,000+ dead squid wash ashore 'reason
unknown' in Arauco, Chile. Link
15th January 2016 - 10,000 ducks killed due to more outbreaks of avian flu in Taipei, Taiwan. Link
15th January 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found floating in a river in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Link
14th January 2016 - 5 giant sperm whales wash ashore dead on Texel Island in Netherlands. Link
13th January 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up in Guanabara Bay, Brazil. Link
13th January 2016 - 40,000 chickens to be killed due to avian flu in Fife, Scotland. Link
13th January 2016 - Hundreds of thousands of fish dead or dying in Hunter river, NSW, Australia. Link
12th January 2016 - Hundreds of animals killed by hail storm in Canchabamba, Peru. Link
12th January 2016 - 100+ Whales stranded, 45 dead on the coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Link
12th January 2016 - 700,000 birds killed due to another outbreak of avian flu in Kano State,
Nigeria. Link
10th January 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish and eels found in a lake in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Link
9th January 2016 - 4,000+ cattle dead due to drought in Huila, Colombia. Link
8th January 2016 - Thousands of dead fish wash up in Gulfport, Florida, America. Link
8th January 2016 - 330,000+ birds killed due to avian flu in Kano and Delta regions, Nigeria. Link
8th January 2016 - Tens of thousands of dead starfish and jellyfish wash up along Sussex and Hampshire, England. Link
7th January 2016 - Tens of thousands of birds killed due to avian flu in various areas of Taiwan. Link
7th January 2016 - 2,000 dead fish found along the banks of a river in Amalfi, Colombia. Link
6th January 2016 - 100+ TONS of fish die, in a river in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. Link
6th January 2016 - Hundreds of dead birds found in Cueramaro, Mexico. Link
6th January 2016 - 25,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Accra, Ghana. Link
5th January 2016 - Massive die off of fish in a lake in Marica, Brazil. Link
5th January 2016 - Hundreds of dead fish found along a river in Gebeng, Malaysia. Link
2nd January 2016 - 40,000 cattle killed in storm in Texas and New Mexico, America. Link
2nd January 2016 - Thousands of fish dead in a river due to pollution in Pelalawan Regency, Indonesia. Link
2nd January 2016 - Hundreds of dead starfish wash ashore on a beach in Portsmouth, England. Link
If you are affected by this information, then please see what must I do to be saved?
There is no doubt that these mass animal deaths occuring around the world today is one of the many signs of the times, showing that we areliving in the last days. Throughout history we have not seen animals dying in these kinds of numbers all around the world. But the earth and the seas are so polluted now from man made chemicals and oil spills, the animals just don't stand a chance! But this was to be expected, as God has already warned us through Bible prophecy that this world is heading for complete ruin. Friends, it's time to turn to Jesus Christ. He is our ONLY hope for the future.
See MASS ANIMAL DEATHS 2015 for the 2015 list.
See MASS ANIMAL DEATHS 2014 for the 2014 list.
See MASS ANIMAL DEATHS 2013 for the 2013 list.
See MASS ANIMAL DEATHS 2012 for the 2012 list.
See MASS ANIMAL DEATHS 2011 for the 2011 list.
Why would a "loving" God allow suffering to continue? SEE THIS PAGE
Friends, the end is near and the time of probation is about to close. Seek and turn to Jesus Christ while you still can!
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MORE NEWS
Mass animal deaths on the rise worldwide
March 8, 2011 -- Millions of sardines suffocated Tuesday night during windy storm that altered currents trapping them in King Harbor Marina where there was not enough oxygen in the water to sustain them. RB city workers, lifeguards all gathered to scoop up the dead fish.
Thousands of birds fall from the sky. Millions of fish wash up on the shore. Honey bee populations decimated. Bats overtaken by a deadly fungus. Piglets die in droves from a mysterious disease.
It was tragic stories such as these that prompted a group of researchers from the University of San Diego, UC Berkeley and Yale to embark on a broad review of all the reports of large animal die-offs in the scientific literature since the middle of the last century. They turned up 727 such papers documenting "mass mortality events" (MME) of 2,407 global populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and marine invertebrates -- like the thousands of starfish that perished in North America in 2014.
Their analyses, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed that not only are these events becoming more frequent, they're also increasing in magnitude, with the number of fatalities higher for birds, fish and marine invertebrates. Thirty-five events completely or nearly wiped out an entire population.
Over the last 70-plus years -- between 1940 and 2012, when the researchers ended their data collection -- there has been about one more MME per year.
"Going from one event to 70 each year is a substantial increase, especially given the increased magnitudes of MMEs for some of these organisms," said Adam Siepielski, University of San Diego assistant professor of biology and the study's co-lead author.
The cumulative death toll reaches into the billions.
The number one cause was disease, which was responsible for 26 percent of the mass killings, followed -- no big surprise -- by human activity, mostly traceable to environmental contamination. Toxic algal blooms, like the one that has plagued Lake Erie in recent years, have also emerged as a leading killer.
"Mass die-offs result from both natural and human-driven causes," said study coauthor Samuel Fey, a Yale researcher who studies how extreme temperatures can affect biological populations.
And even accounting for the possibility of reporting bias -- that is, an increase of attention that can potentially skew numbers to look artificially more impressive -- he and the team believe that their results are robust. That said, as much as anything, their findings show how important it is to get the reporting right.
"Determining whether or not the upswing in the occurrence of MMEs is a real phenomenon or simply a result of increased awareness remains a critical challenge that needs to be addressed," they wrote. "Such results, combined with lack of studies measuring MMEs using population-level data, highlights the need for an improved program for monitoring MMEs."
Kent Redford, a conservation consultant and former director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute who was not involved in the study, agreed.
"Rare and dramatic events capture the human attention and imagination," he toldCBS News. "This paper makes the important case for the need to document the dramatic death of large numbers of animals. Understanding the factors that structure animal communities requires knowledge of how and why animals die and more importantly, understanding how and why human actions shape the 'unnatural' deaths of animals is a prerequisite to knowing how to ameliorate such deaths."
But while headline-grabbing stories -- like the deaths of a third of the nation's honey bees due to colony collapse disorder, or white-nose syndrome, which has killed 6 million bats in the U.S. since 2007 (neither was included in the PNAS paper) -- deserve close study and widespread alarm, they don't show the wholepicture.
"We must not let the rare dramatic events distract us from focusing on the smaller but constant erosion of animal communities that is taking place worldwide as a result of human action," said Redford. "Over the long term, these less-interesting and less note-worthy mortality factors are undoubtedly more important to study and to stop."