Apocalypse Now

What started with a bunch of fallen birds has escalated into an eerie string of animal deaths across the globe, with many people asking, "apocalypse now?"  One of our 'agents' has provided us with a run-down.

January 1 & 2:

• Approximately 5,000 blackbirds mysteriously drop out of the sky in Beebe, Arkansas. New Year's fireworks are noted as a possible culprit and preliminary autopsies reveal organ trauma.

January 3:

• 100,000 dead drum fish wash ashore from the Arkansas River, in the town of Ozark (about 125 from Beebe, AR).
• An insect census reveals that bumble populations in the US have shrunk by 96% in the past few decades.

January 4:

• An estimated 500 birds (this time red-winged blackbirds and starlings) also fall to their deaths in Labarre, Louisiana. The birds suffered from internal injuries and power lines are among the possible causes.
• Somewhere between 50 and 100 jackdaw birds also fall in central Sweden. Like in Arkansas, fireworks are the suspected reason.
• Hundreds of dead snapper fish are found on New Zealand beaches. Residents speculate that they were dumped back into the water by a fisherman or starved because of current conditions.
• Brazilian fishermen reveal that approximately 100 tons of dead sardines, croaker fish and catfish have washed ashore in the fishing village of Parana. Different causes are floated, including chemicals in the water and an environmental imbalance.
• Thousands of dead fish are found floating in Florida's Spruce Creek in the town of Port Orange. Officials blame recent "cold snaps."

January 5:

• Reports of "a large number" of dead birds found on a bridge emerge in Upshur County, Texas, but local authorities dismiss conspiracy theories, saying it is not unusual to find bird carcasses on the high-traffic bridge.
• Several hundred birds are found dead in Murray, Kentucky. The Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources rules out disease or foul play as the cause.
• Two million dead fish are found floating in Maryland's Cheapeake Bay. Local environmental experts say mass fish deaths are common in colder months.
• 40,000 "devil" crab carcasses are found on the shores of Kent, England. An unusually cold winter in the UK is the likely cause.