Recent strandings in the eastern Aegean: Stabbed dolphin and stranded monk seal

Once again, we came across an incident that we failed to comprehend... A young striped dolphin was found dead on Sunday 7/3/10, stabbed below the eye, in the area of Vathi, Samos island. Archipelagos Institute was informed about the incident by the port police in Samos. Soon after that, Archipelagos volunteers in Samos went to the area where a necropsy was performed. The results of the necropsy showed that, asides from the obvious wounds, the dolphin’s stomach was empty. This means that it is possible that the dolphin became entangled in fishing nets whilst seeking food.

Another stranding took place last Friday, where a dead monk seal was found on Mastihari beach on Kos island. The cause of death is not yet known, due to the immediate burial of the seal. Although after communicating with Archipelagos, volunteers on the island were ready to take samples and arrange the proper burial of the seal, unfortunately they arrived at the scene too late. At the moment there are talks for the exhumation of the seal and sample collection.

We must note that the Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most threatened mammals in the world. According to the most optimistic count, there are approximately 450 individuals in the wild, 250 of which are found in Greek and Turkish waters. It is doubtful that this very small population will manage to survive.