This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Dozens of dead or nearly dead ducks and geese were spotted at the Sugar House Park pond Saturday evening.

Ty Cannon, a Sugar House resident, said he was at the park Saturday playing Frisbee with his dog when his girlfriend, Roni Stern, spotted a few dead baby ducks floating in the water. The couple looked across the pond and began counting the number of floating bird carcasses.

"We lost count at 35 ducks," Cannon said. "There were some geese who were about 80, 90 percent dead, and were flopping around there a little bit."

Cannon said he called the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Department, which he said told him that the department was "aware" of the situation but did not detail to Cannon what the issue was. Efforts by The Salt Lake Tribune to reach county officials for comment or safety advice for park users were unsuccessful Saturday.

Cannon said there were still live ducks in the water, most of whom were wading through water littered with dead birds.

"We were watching this duck flapping around, and it was suffering," he said. "It just seemed traumatic and overwhelming."

Jessica Miller