Dolphin rescued at Kamala

KAMALA: A 2.4-meter bottlenose dolphin beached at Kamala yesterday was rescued by local residents and is now being cared for at Phuket FantaSea theme park. Kamala residents Inge and Don McMahon helped rescue the dolphin after villagers called for their assistance just after midday. Ms McMahon today said, “We ran down to the beach after Thai villagers told us about the dolphin. They asked for us because we saved a dolphin two years ago. “There were so many people there but nobody was doing anything. We tried pushing the dolphin back into the sea, but it couldn’t swim.” The couple led the dolphin into a klong and arranged for someone to call the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) for help. Supot Chantrapornsyl, a PMBC marine biologist, arrived an hour later and gave the dolphin an injection to help boost its energy levels. “It’s a female dolphin we estimate to be more than 30 years old. By the time we got there, the dolphin was too sick to swim,” he said. The dolphin was taken to a freshwater pool at Phuket FantaSea, then later moved to a saltwater pool. K. Supot explained that the dolphin will remain and be treated at the theme park because the PMBC is currently understaffed and the center lacks the facilities to care for sick dolphins. Sayan Pinsuwan, a dolphin trainer at FantaSea, told the Gazette the dolphin might be suffering from a kidney or liver disease. However, they were waiting for results of blood tests to determine its illness. “If the dolphin’s condition keeps deteriorating, it might have to be sent to Bangkok for special treatment,” he added.