THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
CANACONA: The carcass of an adult dolphin was found washed ashore on the rocky shore of Patnem-Colomb Beach, on Friday.
The Forest Department officials said, “The department was alerted about the marine mammal carcass by Shubam Komarpant, a resident of Colomb after the locals spotted the decomposed dolphin on Friday morning at the far end of the land mass between Patnem and Colomb Beach.”
"The dolphin carcass appears to be of Indian Ocean humpback dolphin species and was about three metres in length and weighed around 300 kilogrammes," informed Devidas Velip, incharge Range Forest Officer, Pissonem Range.
“The partially decomposed carcass is of an adult male and looks like the mammal died a week ago,” informed Velip.
"The carcass was loaded after completion of checks in a municipal truck and taken to nearby Gulem forest area. After conducting post mortem the carcass was buried there," Velip said.
Velip added no injuries were found on the dolphin and ruled out the possibility of it being tangled in fishing nets.
"We cannot confirm if the dolphin died at sea before it was washed ashore. When the locals spotted the mammal, it was already dead," he said, adding the Indian Ocean humpback dolphins are listed as endangered species.
