The carcass of a dolphin washed up on Tannirbavi beach on Friday and was later buried along the seashore.
The dolphin was found behind the Fathima Church area on the beach. The labourers engaged in work on the beach for the Blue Flag tag, staff of Yojaka India Pvt Ltd engaged in the maintenance of the beach and lifeguards brought the dolphin to the shore using a rope.
“We informed the forest department, local police, and coastal security police about the dolphin carcass. After completing all procedures, the dolphin was buried in a five-and-a-half feet deep pit on the shore. The swimmers, Blue Flag workers and Yojaka staff were part of it,” Yojaka coordinator K Padmanabha Pannikar told DH.
ReefWatch Marine Conservation's Karnataka Coordinator Tejaswini visited the spot and an autopsy was conducted under the guidance of veterinarian Dr Suranjana.
“It is difficult to ascertain the exact cause of death. The carcass was not viable to conduct a detailed study as it was decomposing. It was a male mature dolphin. We suspect that it could have died of starvation after it was accidentally caught in the net. Or it might have suffered from lack of oxygen as dolphins come to the surface of the water to catch a breath and also due to pre-existing internal infection,” said Tejaswini.