By Andrew N. White, International Business Times - Business
A massive amount of geese on Saturday were found dead in Idaho Falls, Idaho, which was likely the result of a strong storm that passed through the area.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) said they discovered 51 dead birds in a parking lot near North Yellowstone Highway and Lincoln Road, reported East Idaho News. Officials from the animal organization were called to investigate what had happened.
"I picked up 48 snow geese and three ross geese after we were notified about the birds from Bonneville County dispatch," IDFG officer Jacob Berl told the publication. "There were quite a few more on the roofs out there that will be removed Monday."
The animals, 48 of them snow geese and three Ross' geese, fell within a 100-yard radius, Berl said.
However, KIFI, an ABC affiliate in Idaho Falls, reported Tuesday that a woman discovered 61 more snow geese on the roof of Yellowstone's Warehouse, increasing the total to at least 112.
Based on the condition of the birds, officials believe they were killed by lightning as golf-ball sized hail rained from the sky during a thunderstorm around 8 p.m. Saturday night.
Officials learned that the geese suffered injuries which support that theory, Berl said. He was the only officer to arrive on the scene the night of the discovery.
"Several of the geese had their stomachs blown open and all of them were dead. None were injured," Berl told the news outlet. "Hail likely would have knocked them out of the sky but they would have been able to glide down and land at different places."
James Brower, a regional volunteer services coordinator with IDFG, seemingly backed up the idea of lighting being the cause of death.
"I don't think it was the hail or wind," Brower told Fox News. "Hail would have injured the geese. They'd still be alive. All of these were dead. When the officer arrived nothing was moving or twitching."
An incident such as this is not uncommon in Idaho. Migrating birds tend to fly over the state as they head north for warmer weather. Up to 60,000 snow geese, white-fronted geese and other birds traveled through the area, the IDFG said in a March 2017 report.
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