Poor water quality choked 5 dolphins to death this year: Autopsy reports
MUMBAI: Five of the 13 dolphins that were found dead along the Mumbai coastline this year died of respiratory ailments, postmortem reports revealed.
The post-mortem reports of two Indian Ocean humpback dolphins washed ashore at Bandra Bandstand – one on August 8 and the other, a juvenile, on August 18 – revealed that they died due to cardiopulmonary failure, a lung condition that leads to a heart attack. A finless porpoise had also washed ashore along with the juvenile dolphin but since the carcass was decomposed, the cause of death could not be ascertained.
Marine biologists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) said the autopsy reports indicated that sea pollution killed the animals.
“The deaths took place due to extremely poor water quality, leading to low oxygen, which is choking dolphins,” said Dr Baban Ingole, the head of marine biology department, NIO.
Ingole said there is an immediate need for the municipal corporation to treat domestic waste and plastic entering the sea.
“If the larger marine animals are getting affected due to coastal pollution, it will not take long for the smaller ones, including edible fish species to get affected due to these problems, which will ultimately be a threat to citizens,” Ingole said. Doctors from the Bombay Veterinary College (BVC), Parel, said that while it was
DEATHS THIS MONTH
AUGUST 21:
The carcass of a three-and-a-half foot juvenile dolphin washed ashore at Marine Drive, opposite Marine Lines station AUGUST 18: Two marine mammal carcasses –a baby dolphin and a finless porpoise – washed ashore at Bandra Bandstand clear how the dolphins had died, there was ambiguity about what led to the infection.
“In all the five cases, the lungs had collapsed, leading to a heart attack and there could be countless reasons for this. However, the exact cause of death can only be understood after a detailed study is carried out and the results are tallied by our pathology, microbiology, parasitology department and management,” said Dr DP Kadam from the pathology department of BVC, who conducted the autopsy.
In July, HT had reported that necropsy results from cases earlier this year revealed that three AUGUST 8: Carcass of an eight-foot-long Indian Ocean humpback dolphin washed ashore at Bandra Bandstand. Post-mortem results revealed that the marine animal died due to cardiopulmonary
failure. dolphins had died owing to respiratory infections. Marine biologists said coastal pollution could be the main cause for these deaths.
There have been eight marine mammals deaths along the Mumbai coast over the past three months, 13 this year, and 94 since 2014 that has left the forest department clueless about the increase in so many deaths along the city’s coastline.
Kadam added that if the state forest department asks for a final report collating all causes of death, BVC will take necessary steps to develop it.
“We need to collect information such as the location of the
deaths at sea, estimated population of dolphins, specific pattern or similar legions for the deaths, and whether other marine mammals are also affected,” he said.
The state mangrove cell said they will be writing to BVC for a final report. “We will provide all the details required by BVC, and ask for a conclusive analysis of the deaths as soon as possible. The five deaths due to respiratory ailments are the first comprehensive reason we have got, and we will work towards containing the problem,” said Prashant Deshmukh, range forest officer (west), state mangrove cell.