Doves fall from Italy sky

Hundreds of turtle doves have been picked up since Jan. 1 from the streets of Faenza, in northern Italy

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159239.html


Amid the deepening mystery of dead birds falling from the sky in the US and Sweden over the past week, about hundred of dead birds have been found in a town in northern Italy.

Over 700 dead turtle doves have been picked up since Jan. 1 from the streets of Faenza, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Bologna, an Italian association for bird protection said Saturday.

Initial testing suggests signs of poisoning or hypoxia -- lack of oxygen caused due to altitude sickness. Hypoxia is known to cause confusion and illness in animals.

Nadia Caselli of the bird association, however, believes the birds had overeaten sunflower seeds, which damage their livers and kidneys, AP reported.

The seeds are mostly waste from a nearby oil factory.

Some scientists speculated that the rapid movement of the Magnetic North Pole towards Russia is a possible reason for the bird deaths as it throws off birds' innate navigational system, confusing them and causing them to fly erratically in all directions.