Police investigate deaths of goats on Warsaw island

Polish police are investigating the deaths of goats that Warsaw authorities had sent to an isle on the Vistula River to trim shrubbery and help birds nest.

A person who visited the island last week notified ecologists of a number of goat carcasses there. The police were then notified.

A man who was supposed to watch over the herd said on TVN24 he had thrown some carcasses into the river. Ecologists are warning of potential health hazards to people.

Some 60 goats and sheep from a private farm were sent to the island in northern Warsaw last year to help control lush grass and shrubbery there, which was an obstacle to nesting for river birds. The project was supervised by the city’s green areas authorities.