Endangered Irrawaddy dolphin washes ashore on Kuakata beach
According to the IUCN Red List Conservation status, this species has been listed as critically endangered
A dead dolphin of the endangered Irrawaddy species washed up on the Kuakata beach in Patuakhali on Saturday (25 May).
Locals spotted the dolphin at the zero point area of the beach around 12 pm.
When contacted, members of the Kuakata Dolphin Protection Committee reached the spot.
Ruman Imtiaz Tushar, team leader of the committee, said, "We informed the forest department as soon as we got the news. Later, our members with the help of the forest department tried to rescue the dolphin. But due to the high tide, there was a delay. This is the fourth dolphin that washed up on the Kuakata beach this year."
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Abul Kalam Azad, Mahipur range officer of the forest department, said the dolphin will be buried when the tidal water pressure subsides.
The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
According to the IUCN Red List Conservation status, this species has been listed as critically endangered.
Sagarika Smriti, a marine life researcher working on the Blue Ocean Economy, said, "Marine animals are dying due to the ocean environment being made inhospitable."
What caused the death of the dolphin is not clear as of yet, she further said.
She urged everyone, including fishermen, to beware and protect sea creatures.
