1,700 dead seals found on Russia's Caspian coast
Officials say that about 1,700 seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia
By AP News
Published - Dec 04, 2022, 07:27 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 23, 2023, 08:36 AM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) — About 1,700 seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia, officials said Sunday.
The authorities in the Russian province of Dagestan said that it's still unclear what caused the animals' deaths, but they likely died of natural reasons.
Regional officials initially said Saturday that 700 dead seals were found on the coast, but on Sunday Zaur Gapizov, head of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, said according to the state RIA Novosti news agency that after a broader inspection of the coast the number of dead animals was 1,700.
Gapizov said the seals likely died a couple of weeks ago. He added that there was no sign that they were killed by poachers.
