Image
© dnaDead dolphins continue to dot Mumbai shores. File photo.
The bizarre spree of dead dolphins washing ashore on Mumbai beaches seems to continue. The latest was a five-feet-long dolphin carcass on Manori beach found on Wednesday, 4 November afternoon.

According to locals, the decomposed body of the marine mammal was spotted on as the tide receded. The carcass, like the earlier ones, was discoloured with bloated internals and fluids spilling from the rostrum (snout of the dolphin).

Fishermen from the area informed BMC officials immediately, who took away the carcass, which was emanating foul stench.

"Dolphins are seen far, in deeper waters, from the Manori coast. It is the first-time around that, a dead dolphin has surfaced here. There were incidents of similar carcasses washed ashore on Versova and Aksa beach," local fisherman Ramdas Agaskar told iamin over phone.

He claimed of having spotted a pod of four to six dolphins surfacing in and around waters near Versova a month back.

Meanwhile, local ward office of BMC remained clueless as to where the body of dolphin had been taken. "The carcass must have been taken to the dumping ground in Deonar," said an officer from P/North ward BMC office.

When iamin checked with the Deonar dumping ground, they said no such carcass had been dumped.

12th dolphin body so far

With the appearance of the dolphin carcass at Manori, the total death toll of the porpoises have gone up to 12. Apart from dolphins - bodies of sea turtles, humpback and blue whales have also beached on coastlines in and around the city.

The appearances of marine creature carcasses continue to baffle marine experts and environmental activists, who said that the state must act and investigate these incidents.

"The autopsy reports of the last dolphins could not prove the cause of death. The state must investigate from all aspects as to get to the bottom of these incidents," said senior scientist from National Institute of Oceanography, Dr Shankar Gajbiye. He suggested that high level of pollutants in sea water to oil spill in deep sea could be few of the reasons for the unexplained deaths.

Meanwhile, state environment minister Ramdas Kadam remained unavailable to comment on the latest incident or on the steps taken by the government to investigate the issue.