Yahoo News 4 Jun 08;
Some 30 dead crocodiles have been found in South Africa's famous Kruger National Park and tests have begun to find out if the deaths are linked to a polluted river, a park spokesman said Wednesday.
Rangers discovered the first of the carcasses last week in the Olifants River, and helicopter searches later revealed more of the dead animals, said spokesman Raymond Travers.
The waterway is the park's most polluted river, according to a statement from Kruger.
However, there were no recent fish kills in the river, so scientists remain puzzled over the exact cause, Danie Pienaar, head of scientific services for the park, said in the statement.
"We are in unknown territory and we certainly don't have the answers as to why these crocodiles seem to be dying, so we need to look at the problem closely and find a solution," he said.
The crocodiles are part of the Nile species found throughout Africa, said Travers. There are thousands in the park, he said, adding that Kruger officials did not have more precise estimates.
The carcasses were in various stages of decomposition, though they contained yellow-orange hardened fat in their tails.
Scientists think the yellow-orange fat is linked to a condition known as pansteatitis, which is usually associated with eating rotten fish, the park said.
Samples from the crocodiles, as well as from fish, water and sediment, have been sent for testing.
The park also pointed out that the Massingir Dam, which recently underwent work to raise it higher in neighbouring Mozambique, had pushed back into the Olifants Gorge and caused sediment to deposit.
