Injured and dead dolphins have been washing up on the coast of the Black Sea after being hurt or killed by powerful military sonars, according to the head researcher at the Tuzlivski lymany Nature Park in the Odesa region in southwestern Ukraine.
Ivan Rusev said that at least six dolphins have been found on the shore within the borders of the park.
“Since the beginning of the Black Sea war near Odesa, hundreds of dead dolphins have been found,” he said in a Facebook post.
Atanas Rusev, the head of the Bulgarian campaign “Save the Dolphins” said on Facebook that there have been several instances of dolphins getting stranded in the delta of the Ropotamo River, which leads into the Black Sea.
“Several dolphins were unable to navigate and were very weak. Some of the dolphins had burns from bomb blasts or mines. Imagine a dolphin with a protracted burn … according to experts who examined them, the dolphins were not able to eat for at least 10 days. Those who were not burned were severely injured,” he said, adding that injured and dead dolphins have been washing up on the coasts of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Several studies in the past have confirmed that military sonars are harmful to marine life and many militaries have adopted mitigating measures to protect wildlife, CNN reports.
