Cornell: Study suggests hydrofracking is killing farm animals

According to the Cornell Chronicle, "a new report has found dozens of cases of illness, death and reproductive issues in cows, horses, goats, llamas, chickens, dogs, cats, fish and other wildlife, and humans. It says these conditions could be the result of exposure to gas drilling operations."

The authors of the report caution that directly linking health problems and hydrofracking is not possible due to incomplete testing, proprietary secrecy, and non-disclosure agreements following lawsuit settlements.

One author of the report said, "We have a number of case studies -- they don't tell us about the prevalence of problems associated with hydraulic fracturing, but they do tell us how things can happen."

In one case, a farmer reported that 140 of his cows were exposed to hydrofracking fluid when the liner of a wastewater pond was allegedly cut, draining the fluid into a pasture and a pond. "These farmers saw workers slitting the liner to decrease the amount of liquid in the impoundment in order to refill it," said another author of the study. "We have heard it now on several occasions." Of the 140 cows, about 70 died, and there were high incidences of stillborn and stunted calves.

Read the rest of the Cornell Chronicle article on hydrofracking and animals here.