Thousands of dead pigs dumped in river

The dark cloud:
Normally discussion of water pollutants involves tiny particles invisible to the human eye, but this week thousands of dead pigs have been dumped into the river running through Shanghai. Who dumped the pigs and why remains unknown. I’ve spent enough time on rivers and in streams to know that they are often used as a dump for trash, including large items like tires, grocery carts, rolled up carpet, and old television sets. But dead pigs floating down river provoke an eerie feeling with their human-like appearance. I don’t mean to invoke an animal rights activist tone, I simply mean to reflect on the loss of life.

The silver lining:
Recent Chinese government food safety crackdowns on farmers selling dead and diseased pigs to slaughter houses might have led the person responsible to dump these bodies rather than try to sell them.
For more on this story see:
“Thousands of dead pigs found in Chinese river”
“A tide of dead pigs in China but dinner is safe” **warning photos may be offensive.
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