As of December 21, 2023, employees of the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve recorded the deaths of 30 Bewick’s Swans on Lake Karakol. However, from December 21, 2023, to January 7, 2024, 639 dead birds were discovered and disposed of.
This was according to initial data. Now, the number of swans that died for unknown reasons has reached 870 individuals. Experts and the public propose various theories about the cause of the deaths of birds listed in the Red Book. What actually led to the demise of these swans? A bit of history
The history of Lake Karakol began in the late 60s of the last century during the construction of the desalination plant of the Mangyshlak Nuclear Power Plant (now TOC «MAEK-Kazatomprom»). The enterprise flooded the area with warm discharge waters, giving rise to the lake. The reeds that grew on the lake created favorable conditions for the nesting of various bird species. Since then, more than 80 bird species migrate to these lands for the winter, including owls, cormorants, flamingos, and other birds. One-third of them are listed in the Red Book. The lake hosts up to 175 species of waterfowl and near-water birds in different seasons. Due to the warm waters flowing into Karakol, the water does not freeze completely even in severe frost.
In 2008, the lake became part of the specially protected natural territory of the Karagie-Karakol State Zoological Reserve of republican significance. It has been under protection, more or less, ever since.
Underfed or overfed?
There are various versions regarding why swans are dying on the lake. One of them suggests that swans are perishing due to a lack of food. This was suggested by the head of the veterinary department of the Mangystau region, Berdibek Markabayev. Additionally, avian flu allegedly complicated the situation.
«Last December, the situation was similar; many birds died. They face a lack of food, their immunity weakens, and the swan gets sick, eventually leading to death. To prevent the tragedy, it is necessary to organize bird feeding,» emphasized Markabayev. To save the birds, he called on sponsors and volunteers to purchase food and organize feeding.
Ecologist and head of the NGO «Eco Mangystau» Kirill Osin has a different opinion.
«At first, authorities urged citizens to feed the birds, linking it to the fact that the birds weakened due to a lack of a nutritious base. But I disagree. Lake Karakol is rich in biodiversity, and the food base there is not scarce. Volunteers started feeding the birds, but then ornithologists from the Kazakhstan Association for Biodiversity Conservation reported that it is unacceptable to bring any organics to such a closed reservoir as it could lead to various undesirable consequences. Especially if the public began to feed the birds massively,» the expert believes.
Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Ramsar Regional Initiative for Central Asia, Adilbek Kozybakov, agrees with him.
«Birds do not need to be fed because they have enough food in their natural conditions. Evidence of this is the fact that no less than 10-15 thousand swans winter on Karakol every year. Two days ago, an ornithologist counted more than 43 thousand swans. This indicates that the birds have enough food. Unlike the black swan living in Australia, the Bewick’s Swan, which comes to our region, is very susceptible to avian flu, especially young birds with no developed immunity,» says Adilbek Kozybakov.
So, is bird flu to blame?
Happy New Year…
«So began the year 2024 in Mangystau,» signed blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev his first New Year’s post. The photo, taken from a bird’s flight, captures hundreds of dead swans along the shore of Karakol.
The blogger is known for rescuing flamingos and highlighting the region’s environmental issues. According to Azamat, there are many more dead birds than officials claim.
«Now there are, by my estimate, five to six thousand swan carcasses on the lake. Various reasons are cited for the deaths. Some say there was no food; others say the birds have the flu. Some go even further and blame me for the sea of swans supposedly all because of my drone,» he says.
This is not the first time the blogger has been accused of the birds’ deaths. The same story happened with a flock of pink flamingos that arrived at Karakol. However, due to a significant public outcry and after publishing photos in international media, the police dropped the case.
By the way, Azamat was also fined for the video with dead swans.
Thus, the actions of law enforcement seem to suggest that they do not want to disclose the true cause of the deaths of these rare birds.
If the truth is being concealed, then someone must need it?
«Clean» waste…
Ornithologists from Almaty, representing the Association for Biodiversity Conservation of Kazakhstan, have already been sent to Lake Karakol to conduct additional research. Initially, when the first 30 dead Bewick’s Swans were discovered, the regional ecology department reported that the water samples taken showed no exceedance of the permissible concentration of pollutants. Now, other data have emerged. A video was leaked showing black liquid flowing into the lake from a drainage pipe. Environmentalists assume that the Rixos hotel discharges waste of unknown origin into Lake Karakol, leading to the swans’ deaths.
The general manager of Rixos Water World Aktau, Serik Isagaliyev, confirmed the discharge of treated wastewater from the hotel into Lake Karakol. The hotel does not hide the fact that, due to the absence of a central sewage system, the wastewater treatment project and discharge into the lake were approved during the hotel’s construction. Isagaliyev emphasized that the hotel has all the necessary permits, and Rixos Water World Aktau is interested in an objective investigation of the tragedy at Karakol. The hotel’s department has initiated an unscheduled inspection.
This is not the first time the hotel has discharged wastewater into Lake Karakol. Two years ago, Rixos was fined 76 million tenge for violating environmental legislation requirements during wastewater discharge. If the fact is confirmed once again, the hotel will be fined again. But can this compensate for the environmental damage, or will other measures need to be taken against the hotel? The facts speak for themselves: tragedies of this scale have not occurred before.
