The global spate of unexplained mass animal deaths continued Friday as some 700 turtledoves mysteriously fell from the sky in the northwestern Italian city of Faenza.
The birds, which are often seen throughout the area, left behind a scene evocative of a Hitchcock movie as their carcasses piled up over the last five days, according to Corriere della Sera.
The cause of death had yet to be determined, but a researcher at a local zoological institute, Dr. Frasnelli, said people should not be alarmed, noting that the birds’ bodies were found near a distillery and a chemical plant. The turtledoves would be checked for diseases and toxins, he added.
Theories for what may be behind the recent round of animal deaths — ranging from 100,000 drum fish in the Arkansas River to 40,000 devil crabs in England to tons of dead fish in New Zealand and Brazil, as well as smaller amounts of birds and fish throughout the US and Europe — included fireworks, cold stress, disease and natural causes.
However, such explanations have not stopped conspiracy theorists and doomsayers from interpreting the massive deaths as heralding the end of the world.