The Shangai water bureau, which is with overseeing water consumption in Shangai, might not have reacted as the water bureau in any other country would because apparently disposing off of livestock carcasses in rivers is a common practice in China. Local residents told China Central Television (CCTV) that farmers are known to discard the carcasses of their dead livestock in rivers, as opposed to properly burying them.
A government-run newspaper, Jiaxing Daily, reported that pigs in thousands had recently dies due to an epidemic disease that had hit Shangai’s southwest region. The paper reported that over 18,000 pigs succumbed to the epidemic since the year began in Zhulin village. However, it is not clear how many of these carcasses were properly disposed and how many ended up in the river. The paper also quoted local farmers saying that when they were busy they often do not bother contacting veterinary services in such instances to dispose the carcasses of their dead livestock.
