More than 16,000 dead pigs have been pulled from Shanghai rivers in the past couple weeks. The rivers feed into the city’s drinking water supply, The Associated Press reports.
Chinese authorities said Thursday they discovered 10,570 dead pigs in Huangpu River and another 5,528 from various tributaries near Zhejiang, AP says.
The government assures the drinking water is still safe. China has yet to explain why the pigs were dumped, however.
But hog farmers suggest that more pig carcasses are being found because law enforcement officials have started targeting those who illegally sell diseased and dead meat. Three men were just apprehended and convicted, AP reports, for trying to pass off dead, diseased meat as fresh pork.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.