A dead juvenile Irrawaddy dolphin was recovered last Friday, Sept. 25, in Negros Occidental’s Pulupandan town.

Based on information provided by local marine conservationist group, Lumba Project, the dolphin was discovered by local fishermen off the coast of the town and immediately brought it to shore to be examined.

Images provided by Lumba Project revealed the dolphin had several scratch marks all over the body, although it has yet to be determined as to what really caused the marine mammal’s death.

Irrawaddy dolphins in Guimaras Strait are the most endangered mammals in this region, with their population at dangerously low levels.

“Their survival is threatened by several factors aggravated by the fact that they live in coastal areas near shore, where they are vulnerable to the effects of industrial, domestic, and agricultural pollution, boat traffic, net entanglement, and habitat degradation,” the group said.

Based on data released by the Lumba Project, they have counted at least 25 Irrawaddy dolphins living off the coast of Bago City and Pulupandan.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Irrawaddy dolphins are found across Southeast Asia and considered endangered.
The organization identified one of the major threats to the animal is bycatch, when fish or other marine species are unintentionally caught by fishing operations./DGB, WDJ