China pulls out 5,916 pigs from Shanghai river
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Dead baby pigs float on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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Workers look for dead pigs floating on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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A dead pig floats on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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A resident looks at a dead pig floating on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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A dead pig floats among the rubbish on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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A dead pig floats on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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Authorities check the dead pigs, not seen, which have been pulled out from the river on a barge Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
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Cleaning workers retrieve the carcasses of pigs from a branch of Huangpu River in Shanghai, March 10, 2013. Over 2,200 pigs have been found dead in one of Shanghai's main water sources, official media reported on March 11, 2013, triggering a public outcry in China where concerns over food safety and environmental pollution run high. Picture taken March 10, 2013. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
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Cleaning workers retrieve the carcasses of pigs from a branch of Huangpu River in Shanghai, March 10, 2013. Over 2,200 pigs have been found dead in one of Shanghai's main water sources, official media reported on March 11, 2013, triggering a public outcry in China where concerns over food safety and environmental pollution run high. Picture taken March 10, 2013. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
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Sanitation workers collect a dead pig from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
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A sanitation worker collects a dead pig from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
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A photo taken through the window on a boat shows dead pigs collected by sanitation workers from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
Dead baby pigs float on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
Workers look for dead pigs floating on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
A dead pig floats on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
A resident looks at a dead pig floating on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
A dead pig floats among the rubbish on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
A dead pig floats on the river Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
Authorities check the dead pigs, not seen, which have been pulled out from the river on a barge Monday, March 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Shanghai, China. A recent surge in the dumping of dead pigs upstream from Shanghai - with more than 2,800 carcasses floating into the financial hub through Monday - has followed a police campaign to curb the illicit trade in sick pig parts. -- FILE PHOTO: AP
Cleaning workers retrieve the carcasses of pigs from a branch of Huangpu River in Shanghai, March 10, 2013. Over 2,200 pigs have been found dead in one of Shanghai's main water sources, official media reported on March 11, 2013, triggering a public outcry in China where concerns over food safety and environmental pollution run high. Picture taken March 10, 2013. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
Cleaning workers retrieve the carcasses of pigs from a branch of Huangpu River in Shanghai, March 10, 2013. Over 2,200 pigs have been found dead in one of Shanghai's main water sources, official media reported on March 11, 2013, triggering a public outcry in China where concerns over food safety and environmental pollution run high. Picture taken March 10, 2013. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
Sanitation workers collect a dead pig from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
A sanitation worker collects a dead pig from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
A photo taken through the window on a boat shows dead pigs collected by sanitation workers from Shanghai's main waterway on March 11, 2013. Nearly 3,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said on March 11 as residents expressed fears over possible contamination of drinking water. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
BEIJING (AP) - The number of dead pigs found floating in a river flowing into Shanghai has reached nearly 6,000.
The Shanghai municipal government said in an online announcement that 5,916 swine carcasses had been retrieved from Huangpu River by 3 p.m. Tuesday, but added that municipal water remains safe.
The surge in the dumping of dead pigs - believed to be from pig farms in the upstream Jiaxing area in the neighboring Zhejiang province - has followed police campaigns to curb the illicit trade of pork products harvested from diseased pigs.
Shanghai authorities said the city has taken proper measures to safely dispose of the pig carcasses and that the city's water plants are stepping up efforts to disinfect public water and testing for six common swine viruses.
