DAR ES SALAAM, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Local residents and marine authorities joined forces to rescue a pod of more than 400 dolphins that became stranded along Vumawimbi Beach on Pemba Island in Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago, a local official said Friday.
Makame Omar Makame, director of the Marine Conservation Department in Zanzibar's Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, said the rare and alarming incident occurred between the night of June 30 and the early morning of July 1, when disoriented dolphins washed up along the shallow shoreline.
According to Makame, seven dolphins died before help could arrive, but the rest were successfully guided back into deeper waters thanks to the swift response from local fishermen and marine rangers.
"It is not unheard of for dolphins to lose their way at sea, but such large-scale strandings are unusual in the Zanzibar archipelago," Makame said.
Dolphins rely on echolocation, an internal sonar system sensitive to underwater acoustics, to navigate, he said. "Shifts in weather patterns, underwater obstacles, or chasing prey too close to shore can disorient pods."
"They are highly sensitive to sound. Loud disturbances, sonar pulses, or even environmental destruction can push them off course," he added.
