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WASHINGTON, Dec.9 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of southbound snow geese were killed after taking refuge from a snowstorm in a U.S. lake which turned out to be toxic, local media reported.
The Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana was an old copper mine which ceased operating in 1982, and now it holds about 45 billion gallons of highly acidic water that contains sulfuric acid and heavy metals, according to Montana Resources, one of the mining companies which operates the site.
It is estimated that as many as 10,000 snow geese landed on the contaminated waters on the night of Nov. 28, when witnesses described as seeing "700 acres of white birds".
"I can't underscore enough how many birds were in the Butte area that night," Mark Thompson, environmental affairs manager for Montana Resources, told the AP. Normally, the area sees between 2000 to 5000 birds all year during spring and winter migration.
Employees of the mine operators had reportedly worked around the clock using spotlights, noise makers and other methods to scare off the migratory birds from the pit. Still, several thousand have perished.
"Trying to get some idea of mortality has been difficult," Joe Vranka of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was quoted by the AFP as saying. Meanwhile, rescuers were trying their best to save the birds which were found alive.
EPA officials said the mine operators will be fined if found not in compliance with a "bird hazing" program designed to protect birds from the toxic waters.
This is not the first time geese have died at the pit. In 1995, 342 dead geese were found floating on the waters.
