Injured dolphin stranded at Patong Beach

PHUKET: An injured spinner dolphin was stranded on the shore at Patong Beach yesterday.

The dolphin was 1.2 meters long and weighed about 20kg. Tourists found him yesterday evening. He looked weak and was struggling to get back into the sea.

Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation used specialized equipment to lift the dolphin and transfer him to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) for medical treatment.

“He was injured on his tail and along his body. We transferred him to a nursing tank and gave him antibiotics,” said Kwanya Jiakwattanya, a veterinarian at the PMBC.

“We will closely monitor his condition over the next few days. As far as we know, he was not injured by a boat turbine. We believe he was sick and repeatedly battered by strong waves, which washed him up to the sand,” she added.

This is one of several reported cases of injured or dead marine creatures washing up at Phuket beaches in the last couple of months alone.

On Monday, a dead bryde whale with a missing tail washed ashore at Nai Thon Beach (story here).

Last month, a dead turtle in an advanced state of decay washed up at Surin Beach (story here), and two days later a beached whale in a similar state was discovered in the same place (story here).

— Winai Sarot