What´s killing the dolphins?
At least 43 dolphins have now been found dead along the Gulf Coast, (Hmmm, I´m sure I read something about the Gulf Coast recently?????) many of them baby dolphins. Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries agents say it is an unusually high number of dolphins found dead or dying.
LDWF Marine Mammal Strandings Coordinator Mandy Tumlin says 26 dolphins have been found beached since the first of the year in the state. She says the oil spill doesn’t easily explain all the animal deaths, “There was an increased in mortalities observed in 2010, that were being investigated prior to the oil spill.” Tumlin says not all beached dolphins found have been dead. She says one was recovered alive and is getting medical treatment and another seemed fine once placed back in open water. She says testing will be done to determine what killed the others.
In Louisiana, about 80 dolphin deaths is average for a whole year. Tumlin says necropsy labs are backed up with other oil spill-related testing and it’s hard to say when they may know something about the dolphin deaths. Mississippi and Alabama have reported at least 19 dead baby dolphins washing up along the coast.
