Dead dolphin washes ashore in Koh Samui

Tragic news hit Koh Samui island yesterday when reports confirmed a dead dolphin was found washed ashore. The unfortunate discovery was made at Hua Thanon Beach in the Maret sub-district on the southeastern side of the island.

The dead dolphin was reported to the Samui District Offices yesterday, prompting officers to investigate the incident.

Upon arriving at the beach, the officers were met with the heartbreaking sight of the lifeless dolphin.

Authorities quickly contacted both the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center and the Central Gulf Centre of Thailand in Chumphon to report the incident.

As they awaited the arrival of experts from the centres, the dead dolphin was respectfully buried on the beach.

As of now, it is uncertain how the dolphin died, as no obvious injuries were reported as being identified. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death.

Last year, Phuket witnessed a similar tragedy. A striped dolphin died after beaching itself in Patong despite local rescuers’ best efforts. The dolphin was found after having washed up on shore with a serious injury. The dolphin had sustained severe wounds on the lower section of its tail fin.

After a thorough examination of the injuries, medical experts decided it should be moved to Laem Phanwa centre in Muang district for further treatment. The veterinarians and marine rescue experts did their best to try to help and save the striped dolphin, but it died shortly after arriving at the centre.

Meanwhile, last month, The largest-ever convention of dolphin experts met with Thailand’s departments of marine and coastal resources, fisheries, and rural roads. They laid out their action plan to safeguard the river dolphins in Songkhla Lake. As few as 14 Irrawaddy dolphins are remaining in the lake now.

The gathering included the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and groups from India, Cambodia and Laos.