Rescued dolphin dies in Cagayan

A rescued dolphin is being examined after it died on Tuesday (Feb. 14) after it was rescued by fishermen in Pamplona town, Cagayan province. (Photo courtesy of BFAR-Cagayan Valley)

TUGUEGARAO CITY—A stranded dolphin died on Tuesday (Feb. 14), a day after it was rescued by fishermen who deployed their fishing nets along the shoreline of Barangay Nagtupacan in Pamplona town, Cagayan province, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Cagayan Valley.

The female Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) weighed about 80 kilos and measured 1.9 meters long, the BFAR said.

Three local fishermen reported the dolphin’s stranding to the Maritime Group police and the Pamplona fishery and aquatic resources management council after they rescued it.

Veterinarian Jefferson Soriano, Marine Mammal Stranding and Rescue Operations focal person, earlier provided initial instructions to the team on how to give immediate care to the dolphin.

Upon finding out that the marine mammal had lost its ability to float, rescuers saved the dolphin from sinking overnight.

But it died before it was transported to the nearest facility of the bureau for further medical intervention, BFAR said.

Results of the examination showed that the dolphin was weak and had a single deep, fresh wound caused by a cookie cutter shark bite.

The internal examination also revealed that the animal was pregnant, but no hemorrhages or abnormalities in its major organs were observed.

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JPV