Malaysia: Beached dolphin dies in Penang

Kow Kwan Yee The Star 2 Jan 12;

GEORGE TOWN: A hawker found a dolphin beached near Tanjung Bungah here.

Unfortunately, the dolphin died 30 minutes after G. Balakumaran spotted it.

Balakumaran, 36, said he saw the dolphin floating at about 5pm on Saturday.

“It was close to dying, so I called the (state) Fisheries Department but there was no reply,” he claimed.

He alerted The Star, whose representative called the Penang Muni­cipal Council (MPPP).

By the time three MPPP workers and officers from the Fire and Rescue Department’s station in Bagan Jermal arrived, the dolphin had died.

They then buried it at the beach.

The incident attracted hordes of onlookers.

MPPP councillor Ong Ah Teong said it was the third case of dolphins found dead here last year.

“The first was found rotting at the beachfront near Eastern and Oriental Hotel in May, while the second was found dead off Gurney Drive in September,” he added.

Ong said the state recorded the highest number of dead dolphins found last year compared to the previous years.

He said it was difficult to pinpoint the reason why dolphins ended up stranded or dead off the shores here.The council’s urban development department was only responsible for clearing up the dead dolphins, he added.