NAGASAKI (Kyodo) At least 108 oil-covered seabirds had been found on the coast of Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture as of Thursday, and experts suspect the birds are victims of illegal dumping.
The Tsushima Wildlife Conservation Center, a branch of the Environment Ministry, said it is concerned about how quickly the damage is spreading. The number of oil-contaminated birds is nearly 10 times the total found there last year, researchers said.
The oil-covered birds started showing up in all parts of the coast in February, even though no oil spills have been reported this year.