Nearly a dozen dolphins have washed up on Costa del Sur beaches in just four weeks.
Environmentalists have been left scratching their heads as they fear the protected animals may have been hit by a mystery virus or have even been affected by sonar rays from the increased number of warships in the area due to the crisis.
So far this year, 11 dead dolphins have been found on the Spanish beaches of Malaga and there are fears more could wash up dead.
Residents and tourists have been alerting the authorities after finding the succession of stranded animals lying on the sand.
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They have been washed up in the holiday hotspots of Estepona, Malaga, Torremolinos, Marbella and Nerja.
One of the dolphins was a seven-year-old pregnant female. Dolphins usually live to be around 15.
The most recent porpoise corpse was found on the beach of La Araña and had no obvious signs of injury or disease.
The centre for the recovery of endangered marine species (Crema) is hoping an autopsy can shed some light on the situation.
The tests that have already been carried out on other dead dolphins have not yet given conclusive results.
Six years ago, a virus wreaked havoc among these marine mammals in other parts of the Mediterranean coast and in a previous wave around 2007.
Some experts fear that the increase of naval military manoeuvres in the face of the crisis in Ukraine and the sonar on these ships and submarines may be causing the dolphins to confuse their routes and end up on land.
And other experts are pointing to the strong and persistent storms as the main cause of the mysterious tragedy.
They say dolphins need to get their heads out of the water to breathe, and if they are exhausted or sick and use their mouth to breathe, then they may struggle to fight the waves and seek the shore to help them breathe, where most end up dying.
Anyone finding a dolphin in distress is being urged not to return it to the water but to immediately contact the authorities.
