Whale, Dolphin Died Due To Starvation, Respiratory Disorders

YAN (Kedah, Malaysia) April 6 (Bernama) -- Starvation and congestion of the respiratory system had resulted in the deaths of the whale and dolphin which were washed ashore on the beach at Kuala Sala near here last Wednesday. Rantau Abang Fisheries Research Institute’s Marine Mammals division chief Mohd Tamimi Ali Ahmad (FRI) said the findings were obtained following an autopsy on the carcasses of the two mammals Friday. Both mammals were also believed to have been trapped in muddy waters before being stranded. "The whale which was hardly one-year-old and still depending on its mother’s milk was believed to have starved to death after it was separated from the mother,” he told reporters after the autopsies were conducted Friday. He said an autopsy of the dolphin found that its belly was filled with fish bones and the food could not be digested as the digestive tract was also blocked. The autopsies performed in the vicinity of Kuala Sala Beach was also conducted by Kedah Veterinary Department officer Dr Syarifah Syazana Syed Ahmad who was assisted by officers from the Kedah Fisheries Department. Thursday, Bernama reported the carcasses of a whale weighing about 1.5 tonnes and a dolphin weighing 250 kilogrammes were found stranded on the beach at Kuala Salain Yan on Wednesday. -- BERNAMA