One thousand decomposing duck carcasses joined the 16,000 dead pigs in Chinaโ€™s river system this week. Chinese officials discovered the ducks in over 50 woven bags in the Nanhe river of the Penshang district. Liang Weidong, the deputy director of the local governmentโ€™s publicity department, announced that they were unable to determine the cause of death, but the bodies have been disinfected and buried. He reassured the public that the river does not supply the districtโ€™s water, so, according to him, there is no health risk. As one Chinese blogger put it, โ€œDead pigs, dead ducks . . . this soup is getting thicker and thicker.โ€