GEORGE TOWN: The carcass of an Irrawaddy dolphin was found on Teluk Bahang beach here.
Found Friday night, the partially decomposed, tailless carcass suggested a long, fatal journey for the dolphin, its body floating at sea for some time before being washed ashore.
Following a tip-off from the public, a team from the Fisheries Department’s Conservation and Fisheries Protection Division arrived to inspect the carcass.
The mammal, Orcaella brevirostris, was believed to be 1.98m long after more data was recorded.
It was later buried at the beach.
State Fisheries Department director Zarina Zainudin said the dolphin’s tail might have been cut by a boat’s propellers.
“It could have (also) been cut by fishermen to get rid of the drowned animal entangled in their fishing net.”
She added that last year, the carcasses of four dolphins washed ashore.
They included the finless porpoise and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose, which are commonly found around Penang.
“They died after being trapped in fishing nets, hit by boats and slammed by propellers.
“Spring tides coupled with bad storms can also cause dolphins to get beached and die,” she said.
Several pods of Irrawaddy dolphins, the most common sea mammals here, have inhabited the waters around Penang for generations.
Prior research suggests the mammal’s population here is stable, with an estimated 60 of them.
Those who find sea mammals washed ashore can contact the Fisheries Department hotline at 03-8870 4058 or 04-657 2777 for Penang.
