Bottlenose Dolphin found at Maslin Beach (Photo by Gillian Rayment)
Dug up and partly eaten the following morning (Photo by Gillian Rayment)
Recently local residence at Maslin Beach found a dead dolphin that had washed ashore. This was promptly reported to the Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) for further investigation as it appeared to have some unusual looking wounds near its mouth (one of which could have been caused by an entanglement).
In a classic case of “handballing” the responsibility to another government department; DEWNR Officers contacted the South Australian Museum expecting the Museum to have the ability to correctly investigate and diagnose the cause of death of this animal.
However, the Museum refused to assist and consequently the animal was buried on site by the DEWNR Officer in a shallow grave – so shallow in fact that the evening tide partially exposed the body once again and by day break several dogs had started eating parts of the dolphins’ body – including its head.
This is unfortunately how the DEWNR and the South Australian Museum respond to suspicious marine mammal mortalities in South Australia despite AMWRRO offering on countless occasions to correctly investigate the cause of death and use appropriately qualified personnel to perform such investigations as oppose to how these animals are currently flensed elsewhere.
All it would cost is a phone call…
