DEAD DUCKS. Some of the over 100 ducks that mysteriously died one after another on a farm in Barangay Sto Niño, Koronadal City, on Thursday afternoon (July 6, 2023). The Koronadal veterinary office believes that the mini-pond where the ducks swam was contaminated by toxic chemicals. (Photo courtesy of Brigada News Koronadal)
KORONADAL CITY – The City Veterinary Office (CVO) has launched an investigation into the mysterious death of more than 100 ducks in a remote village here that made its owner suspect they were poisoned.
Jose Gaje, a duck farm owner in Barangay Gen. Paulino Santos, said Friday his caretaker told him the ducks were swimming on a mini-pond when they suddenly fell and died one after another on Thursday.
According to Gaje, his ducks regularly wander in nearby rice fields where “palay” had just been harvested by farmers.
“It’s a big loss on my part but what puzzles me is how and why it happened," Gaje, who suspected someone might have poisoned his animals, said.
“If they were not poisoned, why did they die almost at the same time suddenly and quickly?,” he added.
The CVO theorized that the water where the ducks swam could be contaminated with poisonous chemicals.
Gaje's ducks are insured by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation. (PNA)
