Tag / Orcaella brevirostris

by mondaymorgue

Photo: Sarawak Edition Facebook

Malaysia: Irrawaddy Dolphin found dead in fishing net

4th November 2016;

The remains of an Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) were discovered trapped in a net belonging to local fishermen who were catching jellyfish (/obor-obor’) at Kuala Matu in Mukah last month.

It was alleged that when they were pulling up the net, the trapped Dolphin was already dead.

The mammal weighed around 50kg in weight and was about 1.5 meter in length.

However the carcass of the Dolphin was thrown back to the sea by the fishermen last Oct 27, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) said.

A team from SFC went to Kuala Matu on Nov 1 after news of the dead Dolphin began to spread on social media, particularly on the ‘Borneo’ Facebook account.

The investigative team managed to locate and talk with the fishermen who told the team they had no knowledge that this dolphin was a fully protected species as provided for under the Protection of Wildlife Ordinance 1988.

The SFC officers immediately put up posters to inform the public of the various kinds of protected animals in the state as well as to created greater public awareness.

Source: The Borneo Post

by mondaymorgue

We’ve been alerted to a case of Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostrishttps entanglement which happened in Kuala Matu, Daro. Efforts are being undertaken to contact the administrator of the page which first reported the case and personnel from the Department of Fisheries Daro has been tasked to investigate at the scene. We will update when we know more. Thank you to those who alerted us to this news.

Source: Sarawak Edition Facebook, via Sarawak Dolphin Project Facebook

by mondaymorgue

A dead 1.05 meter Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) calf stranded in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental this morning.

Source: Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook

by mondaymorgue

A carcass believed to be that of a beached Whale calf was found at Pantai Puteri here yesterday.
Photo: Muhammad Zuhairi Zuber

Malaysia: Whale Dolphin carcass washes up on Malacca beach
By Roshidi Abu Samah, 17th July 2016;

A carcass believed to be that of a beached Whale calf [It’s been identified as an Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)] was found at Pantai Puteri here yesterday.

The carcass, measuring about two metres, was found by a Civil Defence Department (JPAM) personnel around 1am.

JPAM personnel Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah, 61, said the carcass was found by his colleague, who was on duty at a nearby lookout tower.

He said his colleague initially thought that the large object was a wooden stump washed in by the waves.

“Upon further inspection, he realised that the object was a dead Whale calf,” he said when met at the beach yesterday.

Ridzuan said there were visible injuries on the Whale, believed to have been inflicted by a ship’s propeller.

It is learnt that the carcass would be collected by SWM Environment Sdn Bhd workers for disposal.

Source: New Straits Times

The “beached Whale calf” was, in fact, an adult Irrawaddy Dolphin, based on its size and external morphology (rounded head, small mouth opening, small stubby and rounded dorsal fin). This is what we would call a Stage 4 state of decomposition (advanced decomposition). It’s unfortunate that the carcass has been sent for disposal without it being examined, a reflection for the need to get local communities trained up in stranding response. MareCet hopes to be able to have the means to do so in the near future.

Langkawi Dolphin Research Facebook

by mondaymorgue

Photos: Septy Adji, shared to Save The Mahakam Dolphin Facebook Group

Indonesia: 2 Irrawaddy Dolphins die in East Kalimantan
By N. Adri, 14th July 2016;

Conservation activists are calling for a more concerted effort to protect the habitat of Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris), or pesut, in Mahakam River in East Kalimantan after two of the protected species were found dead, thought to be as a result of widespread environmental problems.

Save Mahakam Pesut Community activist Innal Rahman said the Mahakam pesut was a protected species as it was critically endangered. The population of Mahakam pesut now numbers only 87 individual animals, down from 96 recorded last year.

The first Dolphin was found dead in Kutai Kartanegara regency on July 3. It was suspected that the female Dolphin died four days before it was found by local residents traveling on the river.

“We saw it stranded near a coal stockpile of coal company PT Morris,” said Rahman, who spotted the Dolphin at the location. At 233 centimeters in length and a body circumference of 128 cm, it is believed the Dolphin was fully mature.

On July 7 a pregnant Dolphin (Actually, it was a Dwarf Sperm Whale) was found dead on nearby Mangempang Beach. Muara Badak resident, Saidah, reported the beached Dolphin to the Navy.

“We later removed it to our post for a further examination,” said the post’s commander Second Lieut. Karel Setiawan. Several old wounds, possibly caused by the propellers of boats using the Pangempang River, one of the Mahakam River’s tributaries, were found on the Dolphin’s body.

There are human settlements, coal stockpiles and oil palm plantations built along the Mahakam River and its tributaries. “Dolphins are a sensitive species. Noise caused by boat engines cause them to lose direction, disrupting their efforts in foraging for food,” said Danielle Kreb, a researcher at the Rare Aquatic Species Indonesia Conservation Foundation in Samarinda.

Source: Jakarta Post

The carcass found on July 7 was actually a Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima).

by mondaymorgue

Photos of what is likely to be the same Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) carcass reported near Rantau Hempan, East Kalimantan.

Source: Septy Adji, shared to Save The Mahakam Dolphin Facebook Group

by mondaymorgue

Sad news from Mahakam: on 7 July the team from Save The Mahakam Dolphin got info on a code 4 Pesut (Irrawaddy) Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) that stranded near Rantau Hempang. The team went to the location at 23:00 and took pictures and measurements of the adult female with total body length 223 cm. No necropsy could be performed and the cause of death remains unclear as no obvious wounds were noticed. The plan is to take more pictures in daylight from different angles. The head appeared blackish and if anyone with vet experience can tell whether this usually occurs pre or post mortem please inform us. Thanks.

Source: Danielle Kreb, shared on Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia Facebook Group

by mondaymorgue

The rotting carcass of a male Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris measuring 89.6 centimetres in length was found in Bang Poo, Samut Prakarn.

Source: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) of Thailand Facebook

by mondaymorgue

The rotting carcass of a female Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) was found on Von Napa Beach in Chonburi Province.

Source: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) of Thailand Facebook

by mondaymorgue

A newborn female Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) was found on the shores of Songkhla Lake, in the district of Krasae Sin, Songkhla. It measured 96 centimetres in length and weighed 10 kilograms. Meconium was found in the colon.

Source: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) of Thailand Facebook