12 dolphins rescued in Manila Bay

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Maritime Group of the Philippine National Police rescued 12 dolphins in Manila Bay on Wednesday morning.

Maritime police director Chief Superintendent Rodelio Jocson said a fisherman informed them that dolphins were stranded in the bay near the SM Mall of Asia and Solaire Resort and Casino at around 6 a.m.

Police called in the BFAR after their efforts to guide the mammals into the open sea failed.

The rescue operation started at around 10 a.m. and lasted until 11:30 a.m. as the dolphins were herded into the sea.

Jocson said it is possible that the mammals were looking for food when they wandered into the bay.

“The dolphins were probably attracted with the schools of fish in the area, which is near a spawning ground of herring (tamban). Another possible reason is that the dolphins got lost because of the noise coming from the ships,” BFAR information officer Anna Conant said.

Conant said mammals such as whales and dolphins get stranded when they are sick or wounded.

The BFAR response team said the dolphins looked healthy and showed no signs of sickness.

BFAR mammal stranding team leader and veterinarian Marco Espiritu said melon-headed whales are known to swim in group and commonly encountered in the Philippines and Hawaii.

The shallow portion of Manila Bay is not safe for dolphins due to trash that could be ingested by the mammals.

Mundita Lim, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau, also said it’s possible that the dolphins were looking for food when they got stranded in the bay.

“An organized and well coordinated rescue operation should be applied to stranded dolphins in order not to scare them. Only experts can bring them back to the seas,” Lim said. – Emmanuel Tupas, Rhodina Villanueva