Dolphin rescued by Patong villagers

PATONG: A 1.83-meter striped dolphin, or Stenella coeruleoalba, washed up on Patong Beach yesterday evening and was rescued by villagers. It is now being cared for at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC). The 60-kilogram male dolphin was found at around 6 pm, stranded at the rocky north end of Patong Beach, by villagers who spent more than four hours trying to coax it back into the ocean. However, the dolphin was unable to swim away, so the villagers called the PMBC for help. Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the PMBC told the Gazette, “We received a call at around 9:30 pm. When we arrived, the dolphin was lying on the beach. There were no wounds on the body, but it was unable to balance itself in the water.” The dolphin was covered with wet towels and taken to the PMBC by truck. K. Kanjana said, “We believe that it may have become ill and got separated from its pod [group of dolphins] because the waves at this time of year are quite strong. Each year around this time we find two or three dolphins stranded around Phuket.” The dolphin remains at the PMBC undergoing tests and veterinary care. The PMBC also reported that a dead three-meter Bryde’s whale calf was found washed up on Hin Ta Hin Yai in Koh Samui at around 10 this morning. K. Kanjana said the body was being brought to Phuket to determine the cause of death. “For this type of whale, this calf is very small – normally they are at least four meters long,” she said. “We have been told that there were no wounds on the body. It may have become separated from its mother by strong waves that washed it to shore,” she said.