LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC (WIS/Gray News) – A South Carolina river ranger came across a strange sight Tuesday afternoon: hundreds of dead chickens floating in the water.

According to Hugo Krispyn, a river warden for the Edisto River, hundreds of rotting chicken carcasses were left in feed bags near a bridge in the North Fork section of the river.

The landfill is located near the county line between Aiken and Lexington counties.

In a Facebook post, Krispyn said that when he first approached the carcasses, he thought it was a routine incident of garbage being dumped on the ground before he realized what the strange floating mass actually was.

According to Krispyn, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is investigating the incident. The chickens do not fall under the category of regular garbage, as it is a crime to dispose of animal carcasses in a body of water.

Dead animals in river water could transmit diseases to people who rely on rivers for drinking water.

Authorities are still trying to determine who is responsible for dumping the chickens into the water and where the chickens came from.

A statement from the SCDNR said:

“Our officials initially responded on Tuesday and then contacted the SC Department of Environmental Services, which is the regulatory agency in this matter.”

The Ministry of Environment confirmed that the agency has been informed of the incident and is continuing to investigate. They announced that they will provide further details once the investigation is complete.

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