Dolphin washes up on Phang Nga beach, likely from strong waves

Locals discovered a dolphin washed up on the shore of a beach in Phang Nga province yesterday, just north of Phuket. A local man tipped off the Royal Thai Navy about the dolphin, and officials from the navy and the Sea Turtle Conservation Centre arrived on the scene. The dolphin was then transferred to the Phuket Marine Biological Centre in Phuket’s main city district.

The dolphin is believed to have washed up on Kuek Kak Beach in Phang Nga’s Takua Pa district due to strong waves, as Thailand’s early monsoon season has been particularly strong along the Andaman coast and Phuket areas over the past week. The dolphin’s condition has not yet been reported, only that it was still alive when the incident was reported today. The dolphin is 1.5 metres long.

Just last week, a sea turtle washed up on the sands of Phuket’s Kata Beach from strong waves. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources arrived on the scene after a hotel staff alerted them of the struggling little snapper. The DMCR officials found the turtle’s flippers injured from the turtle getting tangled up in broken fishing nets. They also noticed the turtle was dry.

The officials brought the turtle to an animal rescue centre in the Phuket Marine Biological Center, and expected the young snapper to make a full recovery.

SOURCE: The Phuket Express