Two more dolphins die off Chennai coast

Chennai:

Two more dolphins were found dead along the Chennai coast after getting entangled in nets.

TREE Foundation chairperson Supraja Dharini told Express that Central marine Fisheries Institute chief scientist K Joe and forest range officer Davidraj informed TREE foundation about a spotted dolphin being washed ashore on Kovalam beach on Monday.

Supraja said the dolphin would have got entangled in a long line net set for Tune fishing and later washed ashore. Some onlookers tried to push the mammal back into the sea. But their attempts proved futile as the dolphin died in the fourt attempt to push it back into sea.

Supraja, who is also part of the TREE Foundation Stranding Team along with Narendra Kumar and H J Srikanth said the dolphin was 6.7 feet long and weighed over 120 kg.

She said the spotted Dolphin or bridled dolphin is one of the little known cetaceans as their number is dwindling due to massive incidental killing.

Meanwhile, a Risso’s dolphin was found dead at Uyyalikuppam,near Kalpakkam. Initial observations denoted that the dolphins’ carcass was highly decomposed and the tail region had been severely damaged. It is belived that the dolphin definitely died off drowning after entanglement. TREE Foundation has been recording unusual number of cetacean (dolphins, whales and porpoises) and sea turtles stranding especially from December 2013. People can contact 94440 52242 when they see any stranded marine animals along the coast.