The carcass of an 8-foot adult dolphin was washed ashore at the Mariyanad beach in Kadinamkulam on Tuesday.
The dead dolphin was spotted by local residents at Arattumukku around 8 a.m. They then alerted the Anchuthengu coastal police. The carcass was later handed over to the Forest department that initiated measures to dispose of it.
According to Palode range forest officer S. Remya, the aquatic mammal that belongs to Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act is estimated to have been nearly 20 years old. It weighed around 300 kg and was 250-cm long. The carcass was over a day old and was in the initial stages of putrefaction. It is believed to have belonged to the humpback species of dolphin.
Following the post-mortem examination, the carcass was buried in the Kadinamkulam grama panchayat. Samples collected from the body were sent for further examination to detect the actual cause of death.
