A rare dolphin has died on Neilingding Island, in Shenzhen, after beaching itself last Sunday.
The cetacean was an endangered Chinese white dolphin and it’s the third dolphin to die on a Shenzhen beach in the past two years. When the animal was discovered it was allegedly injured and bleeding.
Officials are speculating that a kilometer-long line of oyster rafts may be behind the death.
"The white dolphin may have entered the shallow water area during the morning tide, but found itself blocked by the oyster rafts when it tried to return to deep water. Rafts probably caused the injuries to the white dolphin," Zhang (surname, no first name given), a director from the island’s management office told News GD.
According to Zhang, white dolphins have no problem avoiding moving objects like boats and surfers, but when it comes to stationary objects they experience difficulty.
"More and more rafts have appeared in this area in recent years," a fishing department staff member, surnamed Chen, told News GD. “I once saw a white dolphin stuck among the rafts.”
Employees from the fishing department buried the dolphin near where it died.
Although it’s legal to cultivate oysters in Nanwan waters, concerns are being raised that not all of the oyster beds are licensed and legally allowed to operate (think about this dolphin next time you enjoy a street BBQ oyster).
Although a nationally protect species, Chinese white dolphins are on the cusp extinction in Hong Kong waters. According to ABC News, between 2003 and 2013 the population dwindled from 159 dolphins to just 61 in the waters surrounding Hong Kong. That's a staggering 60 percent population decline in a single decade.
READ MORE: Chinese white dolphins: Pandas of the sea
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[Images via Xinhua]
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