BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. — Just a few days ago, a portion of the northern Edisto River looked utterly different. It was inundated with hundreds of dead chickens.
It was a call that surprised Edisto Riverkeeper Hugo Krispyn. He said the state is now conducting an investigation to find the person responsible.
“From my understanding as of yesterday morning is that it’s ongoing and that they have received some information from the public,” Krispyn said. “Obviously they’d like to have a lot more.”
However, the chickens appear to have mostly disappeared in recent days. Krispyn said the reason is pretty simple.
“The water level in the north fork has changed enough that the chickens that were hung up on logs just downstream to the bridge, where I assumed they were dumped from, have drifted around the bend and out of sight,” he said.
Krispyn said the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is contacting nearby poultry growers for more information and is open to tips from the public to find the culprit.
He said the section of the Edisto will remain off-limits to the public for now. But he is hopeful that the person responsible will come forward.
“Somebody needs to come forward and say who did this because you can’t throw animals carcasses in the waterway,” Krispyn said. “It’s illegal and just nasty. Don’t do it.”
The SCDES said commercially regulated facilities are required to have a means of disposal for dead birds, both for routine deaths and mass die-offs.
