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PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — State officials say there's no cause for alarm after dead swans were found floating in a lake in western Michigan.
The Grand Rapids Press reports (http://bit.ly/1PCOvov ) Candy Brus and her husband visited Versluis Park in Kent County's Plainfield Township over the weekend with hopes of taking photos of bald eagles. Instead, Brus says they spotted six dead swans.
Tom Cooley, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist and pathologist, said the mute swans likely suffered from verminous hemorrhagic ulcerative enteritis — a disease that affects waterfowl.
The newspaper says a similar situation occurred at the park five years ago.
The DNR says testing is planned to confirm whether the disease is to blame. Michigan officials consider the birds an invasive, nonnative species.
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Online:
http://www.michigan.gov/muteswans
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
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