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The province is investigating after a Calgary man says he came across 50 dead ducks scattered in Elliston Park while walking his dog.

Wayne Clarke, who visits on the park almost daily with his wife to walk their dog, said he began to notice the problem about 10 days ago, when he found one dead duck.

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“I figured, ‘OK, it must have just froze,'” Clarke said. “The next day, we go for another walk around the lake and there’s like three dead birds.”

He said they stayed home for the next few days due to extreme cold temperatures, but when they returned, the problem had multiplied. By then, there were easily around a dozen dead birds on the southeast park’s frozen storm water retention pond, near the intersection of 68th Street and 17th Avenue S.E.

“We couldn’t believe this,” said Clarke, who has frequented the park for years. “I’ve never seen this many birds killed, only one or two.”

On his most recent visit, he estimated there were around 50 dead ducks, many of which had been scavenged.