HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. – Mississippi officials are dealing with an unwelcome side effect of Hurricane Gustav – dead animals.

Officials estimate as many as 500 nutria drowned in the storm and were washed up on county beaches, probably floating in from Louisiana and barrier islands. The carcasses are difficult to see because they lie mixed in with brown sea grass.

But officials say nutria aren’t the only animal victims of the storm. “There are dogs, hogs … they’re all all over the place,” said County Supervisor Lisa Cowand. However, there were no reports of dead livestock as of Thursday.

Supervisors agreed to launch a cleanup effort as soon as possible, using county workers and equipment. But there remains the matter of where to bury the animals. A state Department of Environmental Quality official told supervisors there are strict guidelines on how and where burial sites must be placed. The department will oversee the effort.