Stranded dolphin dies
in barangay shores of Almeria town
By LANIE PITAO-TUPAZ, PIA Biliran
February 7, 2011
NAVAL, Biliran – The
stranded bottlenosed dolphin in the municipality of Almeria yesterday
was found dead in the shores of Brgy. Jamorawon, municipality of
Almeria, Biliran, this morning.
The dead dolphin was
already buried when Aileen Jornales, Aquacultural Technician II of the
provincial government of Biliran came to the location.
Jornales instructed
the barangay tanods to unearth the corpse for examination.
Jornales then
dissected the abdomen part of the mammal for necropsy with Dr. Suzette
Apura, provincial veterinarian and at the same time chairman of the
Philippine Marine Mammals Stranding Network (PMMSN) – Biliran Chapter.
Aside from the bruises
and thin cuts on its skin, its left lung was found to be darkening.
Dr. Apura declared drowning as the cause of death of the dolphin.
The dolphin which was
found at around
6:00 o’clock in the morning yesterday in the shallow waters between Capiñahan and
Dalutan Islands
was brought back to the deeps for three times by bantay dagat members
and local fishermen of the municipality of Almeria. However, it kept
coming back to shore.
Since the dolphin was
found to be able to float and swim and of normal breathing except for
the thin cuts on its skin, it was released again but monitored by the
bantay dagat. Had it came back to the shores yesterday afternoon, it
would have been brought to VRC Resort in Brgy. Talahid in the
municipality of Almeria for a three-day rehabilitation and to undergo
medication.
The dolphin did not
return to the shores of
Almeria town proper but was stranded in the adjacent barangay of
Jamorawon where local fishermen brought it to the deeps.
At around 7:00 o’clock
this morning, the dolphin was found trapped in the rocks probably
during ebb tide which caused its death.
The dead body of the
dolphin was turned over to Mr. Sofronio Dacillo, Provincial
Environmental Management Specialist II of the
province of
Biliran,
where it was buried within the capitol compound.
In January 20, this
year, a bottlenosed dolphin of more than 2 meters long was reported
trapped in a local fisherman’s net and was already dead when noticed.
The local fisherman of Almeria caught the dolphin near the waters of
Sambawan Island
in Maripipi in Biliran province.
