Rangers discovered 11 dead burros near Owls Hole Spring in Death Valley, likely due to a harmful algae bloom caused by stagnant, warm water conditions.
The algae bloom creates dangerous conditions, prompted by slow-moving water enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus, which originates from sources such as fertilizer or sewage.
Only the burros have been found dead, but rangers believe other animals could also have been affected by the toxic conditions in the water.
The deaths have renewed the National Park Service's push to remove the estimated 4,000 non-native burros from Death Valley National Park.
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