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Radio 5 Live,1 min

What killed 60,000 antelopes in four days?

5 Live In Short

Available for over a year

Scientists in Kazakhstan are trying to figure out what's causing the critically endangered Saiga antelope population to suddenly die-off. Around half of the 250,000 antelopes have died since May and 60,000 of them died in just four days. Geo-ecologist Steffen Zuther said the animals died from bacteria which produced deadly toxins, but he and his team are yet to discover where the bacteria came from. Zuther said it was a "shock" to see so many animals dying and the situation was "really terrible for everyone involved". He said the rest of the antelope population are safe from the bacteria and scientists are working to find out the "mechanism" behind the outbreak. This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on 5th September 2015.

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