Le Figaro Bordeaux
The master of Onyx, an Australian shepherd less than ten months old, lost his faithful companion on February 18, four days after he drank water in a puddle near Lake Bègles (Gironde), in the Bordeaux metropolis.
A death possibly linked to the presence of a cyanobacteria in the water, which was confirmed by analyzes carried out by the municipality, which encourages users of the site to keep their dogs away from the body of water.
Although he wishes to remain anonymous, the owner of the deceased dog wrote on a Facebook group bringing together residents of the town of Bègles to
“do prevention”
on this subject, triggering numerous reactions and leading the town hall of Bègles to defend themselves.
The environmentalist municipality claims to have been alerted on February 6
of “possible pollution of the waters of the lake”
, linked
to “the exceptional weather conditions of recent months”
, which have created
“an ideal situation for the development of cyanobacteria”
.
Onyx, an Australian shepherd who died on February 18, was less than ten months old.
Facebook screenshot
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"I feel guilty"
Analyzes have in fact revealed
“the presence of a toxigenic cyanobacteria in limited numbers in certain areas of the lake, which results in a discoloration of the water”
.
The city specifies that
“the risk for users is targeted at efflorescence visible on the surface”
.
These cyanobacteria, micro-organisms sometimes incorrectly called
"blue-green algae"
, can cause skin, digestive or nervous disorders when swimming or ingestion, and can especially prove fatal for dogs.
The town hall therefore recommends avoiding any contact with lake water and keeping dogs away.
Despite these recommendations, a dispute broke out between the owner of the deceased dog and the town hall of Bègles, around the presence or absence of signs encouraging vigilance around the lake at the time when Onyx drank from a puddle near the lake.
The municipality explains that
“alert posters and recommendations have been posted on the site since February 12
,” while this information is also published on the city’s website.
The dog's owner claims to have
“not seen the posters all around the lake”
and claims that they have just been installed.
According to the town hall, they are
“renewed almost daily when they are degraded”
, which explains why they seem
“new”
.
Arguments that do not convince the owner of Onyx:
“I feel guilty for having taken him jogging with me to this site today.
If I had seen these posters, I would have gotten back on the asphalt, like the times when the site was flooded and impassable.