ducks found dead in a pond, residents are worried

For several weeks, a pond of Wemmel worried the population: dead animals were found by tens …

A month ago, dozens of dead fish were found in this pond located between the avenue from Maelbeek and Dr. H. Follet Avenue. These last two days, it is now corpses of ducks that litter the pond and the banks. If the two situations are not a priori linked according to the municipality, the local residents are worried about these macabre discoveries.

According to the first information collected by the commune, the problem would come from a bacterium which proliferates following the strong heats that currently affect Belgium. This bacterium causes botulism, a serious disease that can lead to death of the animals that contract it. The municipality, however, takes steps to prevent these deaths in the future and so that residents do not touch any dead animals they find at the edge of the pond.

■ Report of Camille Tang Quynh and Nicolas Scheenaerts .