[File photo]

An alleged mass killing of swans in northern China’s Inner Mongolia has stirred up anger among the Chinese public. Pictures of the many dead swans went viral on Oct. 23. The Internet user who posted them claimed that hundreds of swans were killed by poachers, Thepaper.cn reported.

The local police bureau later issued a statement via its WeChat account on Oct. 23, confirming that some waterfowl had been found dead in a local lake, without revealing further details. Police have already retrieved the corpses, and a number of the dead birds have been sent for testing to determine their cause of death.

The local forestry bureau could not be reached for a comment as of press time.

The mysterious death of the water birds has enraged Chinese netizens, who quickly demanded that the local government carry out a thorough investigation, as well as protect the remaining swans from possible slaughter.

“I don’t think the swans died naturally. I live in the northern part of China, and during the birds’ annual migration, some are caught and sold at local markets. If the swans were killed by people, then those criminals should be punished,” a Sina Weibo user wrote on Oct. 23.

According to the list of endangered and protected species in China, swans fall under the category of Level 2 protected species, meaning they cannot be killed or sold. People who illegally kill swans may face up to five years in prison.