More Dolphins Beach near Phuket

Yet another report of beached dolphins surfaced marking the third beaching of dolphins on beaches surrounding the dive sites of Phuket in the last two weeks.

In the latest incident three rough-toothed dolphins, a species rarely seen around Phuket, were found in the muddy mangrove flats of Ao Makham near Cape Panwa, south of Phuket.

Beached dolphin in the mangrove flats of Ao Makham

Local fishermen and villagers discovered the three, two female and one male, and assisted to keep them wet while the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) was alerted.

The dolphins were safely returned to the ocean after some basic treatment by PMBC staffers.

In the second incident a week earlier, a striped dolphin carcass washed ashore at Baan Dan. Autopsy results are yet to be released. Two days earlier a pod of 30 false killer whales got unstuck in the rough, shallow waters of Koh Racha. In that incident a young female dolphin perished, thought to be due to shock, while all the others were successfully returned to the ocean.

The beachings so far appear to be unrelated.

Categorized under: Nature/Wildlife, Phuket
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Published 10 Jul 2008