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Thousands of dead geese fall from the sky across Idaho

An outbreak of avian cholera is being blamed for the death of thousands of Canada geese in Idaho.

Witnesses claim that the geese were literally falling from the sky.

What's worse, the carcasses carry a disease that is deadly to other bird species and potentially deadly to humans. 

Dozens of Idaho Department of Fish and Game workers and volunteers at the weekend retrieved and incinerated carcasses of snow geese found near bodies of water and a wildlife management area in the eastern part of the state, said agency spokesman Gregg Losinski.

Avian cholera is believed to be the culprit in the deaths mostly because of the way the birds died, he said. (Yahoo)

“Basically, they just fell out of the sky,” said Losinski.

He said biologists were awaiting results from a state wildlife lab to confirm the birds died of the highly contagious disease, which is caused by bacteria that can survive in soil and water for up to four months.

Outbreaks of avian cholera — which federal health officials said poses little risk to humans — have occurred sporadically in the Northwest region over the last few years. More than 10,000 migrating birds died of avian cholera in southern Oregon and northern California in the first three months of 2012 because of low water levels in wetlands at a popular bird rest area. (NBC)

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