News
Lagoon net kills two dolphins
View(s):Story and Pictures by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
Two dolphins had died in the early hours of last Sunday after a pod of four got entangled in a fishing net at Thirikkapallama lagoon in Puttalam, officers of Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) said.
The DWC veterinary surgeon of the North Western province, Dr Isura Katagoda said that two had drowned. They had got trapped in a fishing net laid in the lagoon by a fisherman in Wanathawilluwa.
The fisherman had dragged the net to shore and alerted DWC officials with the help of other fishermen. The wildlife officials had then informed the veterinary surgeon.
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- Swimming to safety: The 2 dolphins found alive were released
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- The fisherman gets ready to set free one of the dolphins that survived
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- One of the dolphins that met a tragic end
A male and a juvenile male dolphin found alive were released, while a post-mortem was done on the two dead dolphins.
Dr Katagoda believes that the dolphins belonged to one pod. He said that a female and its female offspring had died because they had not been able to surface to breathe.
A post mortem had confirmed that deaths were caused by drowning.
Dr Katagoda said that if these mammals were restrained under water they could suffocate and die.
He said he told the fishermen not to drag their nets to shore when dolphins were entangled and instead inform the authorities.
Dolphins in the lagoon are a rare occurrence, he said.
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