In Aktau, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, in the "Tyoply Plyazh" (Warm Beach) area, tourists have reported around a dozen dead birds.
According to the Kazinform news agency, on 21 April, specialists from the Mangistau Territorial Inspection Department of Forestry and Wildlife examined the coastal zone near the "Aktau Riviera" and "Rixos Golf & Villas" resort complexes.
During the inspection, the remains of three grebes, two cormorants, two gulls and two coots were found. As the specialists clarified, the deaths occurred about a month ago — the birds' bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition, which ruled out the possibility of conducting a veterinary examination.
According to the department, no mass mortality was recorded. The authority attributes the discovery to natural causes.
"In February and March, the spring migration took place in the Mangistau region, during which thousands of birds, including ducks, coots, waders, as well as swans and flamingos, flew into the region, including to the sea coast and Lake Karakol. During this period, the natural death of weakened individuals is a common occurrence. Strong winds blowing from the sea in recent days may have washed the bodies of the dead birds ashore", the inspection noted.
It will be recalled that earlier it was reported that the process of the Caspian Sea's shallowing has accelerated so dramatically in recent years that ecologists in coastal countries are raising the alarm. In their words, an ecological catastrophe could occur much sooner than forecast.
It was noted that the most critical situation is observed off the Kazakh coast, where in some places the sea has receded from the shoreline by 50 kilometres.