- Tanzanian wildlife authorities are investigating the
deaths of some 10,000 flamingos over the past month at the Lake Manyara
National Park.
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- Preliminary tests have shown the birds might have died
from toxins in algae, the park's chief warden Betty Loibooki told AFP news
agency.
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- Samples have been sent to Germany for further analysis.
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- Lake Manyara in north-eastern Tanzania is home to over
300 bird species with more than three million flamingos.
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- Tourist attraction
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- "So far it has not yet been established what is
exactly causing the deaths; scientists are on the ground to find out,"
Tanzania National Parks' James Lembeli told BBC News Online.
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- "The deaths started in mid-June until last week.
There have been no more deaths since then," he said.
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- Two species of flamingos inhabit Lake Manyara - the lesser
flamingo, which eats algae, and the greater flamingo, which mainly eats
insects.
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- According to Mr Lembeli it is the lesser flamingos that
have been dying over the last month.
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- Flamingos are an important tourist attraction in Tanzania,
second only to lions in popularity.
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- © BBC MMIV http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3896907.stm
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