Toads Now Exploding In Denmark, Too
Experts are at a loss to explain what is causing the toads' painful deaths, which primarily take place between two and three a.m.
'It's like a science fiction film,' said Werner Smolnik, a representative for a Hamburg animal welfare organisation. 'You can see the animals crawling around on the ground, then they swell up, and finally they burst.'
Frank Jensen, curator of Denmark's Museum of Natural History, said to Denmark's TV2 that the mysterious deaths likely had an earthly explanation, namely toxins found in fertilisers or changes in the ozone layer.
The Danish Meteorological Institute warned yesterday of increased ozone radiation reaching Denmark. Amphibians such as toads and frogs are known to be sensitive to slight environmental changes.
While German authorities surmise that the gruesome deaths are caused by bacterial or viral infection, they were still confounded by the incident.
'I have never seen anything like this,' said veterinarian Otto Holst.
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