Carcass of an adult female dolphin, identified as Humpback Dolphin, protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, was found washed ashore at Thondi seashore on Tuesday.
A team of forest personnel, led by S. Sathish, Forest Range Officer, found the decomposed carcass near the fishing harbour seashore in Thondi. The dolphin had injuries in the nose part and could have succumbed to injuries three days ago. It should have suffered injuries after hitting a fishing vessel as the Palk Bay region had no rocks unlike the Gulf of Mannar, he said.
The dolphin weighed about 400 kg, measured 8 foot in length and 5 foot in circumference. It was buried at the shore. A local veterinary surgeon conducted the post mortem. It was the second dolphin to be found washed ashore this year. In February, forest officials had found a carcass of a young female dolphin washed ashore at Olaikuda seashore in Rameswaram.
