The last two months have been decidedly rough for cetaceans off China’s coast, with a dead baby porpoise washing up in southern Guangdong in February, a pregnant sperm whale perishing near Huizhou in mid-March and, most recently, a deceased 22-meter fin whale being discovered outside of Shanghai.
This morning we are sad to announce another marine mammal tragedy: the slaughter of a dolphin off the coast of Zhuhai. Photo below (viewer discretion advised):
The incident reportedly occurred yesterday, when a group of people (presumably men, based on the images) managed to trap, kill and butcher a dolphin in Zhuhai’s Jinwan District.
Horrified passersby uploaded images of the roadside butchering online, prompting, predictably, a tidal wave of netizen outrage (images of body-less dolphin heads tend to piss people off).
The Zhuhai Fishery Detachment, Gaolan Port and the Department of Marine Agriculture and Water Affairs formed a joint task force to investigate the dolphin’s death, with officials arriving at the scene to collect what flesh remained of the animal.
While authorities have yet to identify the species of the deceased dolphin, netizens and local media are speculating that the cetacean is a Chinese white dolphin, which is on the cusp extinction in local 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.
Results of the joint investigation will be “promptly announced to the public,” according to Tencent News.
READ MORE: Rare Dolphins Appear in Polluted Shenzhen Waters, Media Celebrates
[Images via Tencent News]
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