Dead dolphin buried after lab examination

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — A dead Fraser’s dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) was buried late Saturday at the Silliman University-Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (SU-IEMS) in Dumaguete City after it underwent laboratory examinations by university scientists.

The adult male Fraser’s dolphin was found dead and beached at the Piapi Beach in Dumaguete City Saturday morning, with several wounds on its body.

Jean Utzurrum, an MS Marine Biology student at SU-IEMS, and a trained marine wildlife stranding responder, immediately proceeded to Piapi Beach to conduct an initial assessment of the carcass.

Other responders, including the police and locals, also joined Utzurrum in moving the carcass from the beach to the vehicle that transported it to the marine laboratory for further examination by a team led by SU alumnus and marine mammal researcher, Edna Sabater Aquino.

Utzurrum told The Freeman that, “based on sloughed skin and bloated body,” the dolphin was estimated to have been dead for at least two days. Its fluke (or tail) was missing, believed to be cut off by a boat propeller strike or as a result of by-catch, she said.

Utzurrum said: “The circular wounds on its body are from cookie-cutter shark bites but since most seemed to be healing, these bites were ruled out to be the cause of death.”

The carcass was later disposed within the lab premises for bone retrieval in the near future, she said. No necropsy was done on the dolphin due to time constraints but they collected tissue samples for future analysis, Utzurrum said.

Meanwhile, Utzurrum clarified that SU-IEMS is not a “rescue facility." She said: “Our ability to respond to strandings are purely voluntary and dependent on our availability and capabilities to respond.”

It is the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources that is still the “mandated agency” for marine mammal strandings, she added. (FREEMAN)