Six turtles and a young dolphin found off Phuket coast
Play
Six sea turtles and a baby dolphin were found floating along the shorelines of Phuket and adjacent Phang-nga province over the last few days, marine officials have reported.
Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, chief of the Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre said three Ridley Sea Turtles were carried adrift by waves to Karon Beach. The injured turtles, bruised by fishing nets, were immediately sent for rehabilitation. All were female and each shell was measured at 50-60 cm.
Marine officials found three more sea turtles, all female, floating near three different shore areas in Phang-nga. All of them had been squeezed by fishing nets and suffered for at least a month.
Meanwhile, a baby dolphin, measuring at 100-120 cm, was found drifting in the Andaman Sea.
Marine life officers said the dolphin, about one year old and weighing 20 kg, could have been battered by strong waves.
In nearby Trang province, a humpback dolphin was found dead in the Andaman Sea early this week, the fifth death recorded among the species so far this year.
Many sea turtles and dolphins are killed or injured during the monsoon season. Fishing equipment such as nets are also a danger to them.
The Trang Dolphin Conservation Club earlier said a latest survey in the Trang sea found at least 100 dolphins.
