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10 dolphins surface dead on MUmbai beaches, Environment Minister clueless

Experts say such an incident has occurred for the first time in the city. They find the apathy of the state and civic departments appalling.

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File photo of a dead dolphin found at Marine Drive
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The city has not only witnessed soaring temperatures in the last one month, but also an escalation in the number of lifeless dolphins washing up lifeless on the city's coastline, of which the state environment ministry is oblivious. 10 carcasses of finless porpoises have been spotted across beaches in the island city, leaving marine biologists, conservationists, activists and researchers baffled.

Speaking to Iamin over the phone, Minister of State for Environment Pravin Pote-Patil claimed that he was not told about the perturbing occurrences. "The city's beaches are the primary responsibility of the municipal corporation, be it any incident. The civic body should have informed the environment department immediately," Patil said, assuring that with due coordination the autopsy report would be examined and a cause of death determined. "Till we don't pin-point the cause of death, we cannot start any specific mitigation strategy. I will talk to the Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and initiate a probe," he said.

Experts say such an incident has occurred for the first time in the city. They find the apathy of the state and civic departments appalling.

Authorities conducted autopsy on only two of the 10 dolphins found; the rest were disposed as they were rotting with mangled internals.

Officials at the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) confirmed submitting the autopsy report to the Forest-Wildlife Department, saying that only the department can share information about the same.

"Investigating the cause of death will allow the related departments to act on those causes," said senior scientist, Dr Shankar Gajbiye, National Institute of Oceanography. He cited the spiraling water pollution as a possible reason, though only a detailed viscera-analysis would help identify the true cause.

Maharashtra State Angling Associaiton's Gordon Rodricks outlined similar incidents in China, where Baiji, a freshwater dolphin species native to the Yangtze river, was wiped out due to pollution and overfishing, saying the same may happen in Mumbai waters.

Found in the warm temperate waters of the western coastline, the humpback dolphins are protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

Cases of dolphins being netted in and around coasts of Alibaugh, Revas, Ratnagiri, Harihareshwar and Sindhudurg have also surfaced.

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