Count of Dead Pigs in Shanghai River Exceeds 16000

In the last two weeks, the number of dead pigs in Huangpu River in Shanghai, which supplies 22 percent of drinking water to the metropolis, has crossed 16,000, reports The Huffington Post.

According to a statement made by the government Thursday in China's financial hub, nearly 10,570 carcasses have been pulled out from the river. Apart from that, nearly 5,528 pigs have been drawn from the upstream tributary in Jiaxing in the neighboring Zhejian province. Officials are still investigating the cause of the dead pigs and blame the farmers for dumping dead pigs into the river.

But the Times writes that the animals died on their way to Shanghai and that truck drivers decided to dump the bodies in the river.

"The city's water territory has already basically finished the work of fishing out the floating dead pigs," a statement of the Shanghai government was quoted in Rawstory.

Workers are working at a fast rate to remove the carcasses of bloated pigs, as they can cause water pollution. Water samples from the river are also being tested.

Reports according to The Associated Press state hog farmers claim that the rise in dumping of swine carcasses is due to the fact that police have begun cracking down on the illicit sale of pork products made from diseased or dead pigs. Last year in November, three men were sentenced to life imprisonment for acquiring dead pigs in order to sell their meat.  

Apart from the dead pigs, 1,000 dead ducks were spotted in Nanhe river in Pengshan count, China. With the increasing toll of pigs and ducks, the officials assure the locals that the water is safe to drink and that they can even consume the city's pork.