Another sad mass beaching of dolphins

I woke to an email from Nick Raba of Mocambique sending me a few pics of a mass beaching of these beautiful bottlenose dolphins:

"In total we witnessed 37 dead bottlenose dolphins on the beach and another

barely alive one, of which we managed to get back into the water and after

30 minutes helping to resucitate it managed to swim past the shore breakers.

This dolphin also turned back to the shore 4 times before heading out, to

its inevitable death one would assume.

We received further information from a couple of locals that in the morning

at approximately 9am there were 41 dolphins on the beach of which a couple

(approximately 6?) having been rescued and returned to the ocean at that

time. We assume therefore that the pod consisted of between 44 - 47

dolphins.

On inspection of the dolphins, to our untrained eyes, there were no

discernable marks or otherwise indicating what may have caused this mass

beaching. All dolphins witnessed appeared to be adults, there were no

juveniles amongst them. They were spread over an area of approximately 200

meters of beach, no other marine life of any description was noted within

virtually the whole ocean facing coastal expanse.

Further information has recently been received that a seismic buoy has been

sighted around the Arcihpelago."

All photos by Nick Raba

OK .. so dolphins can breathe air .. so they dried up and died ?

that must be excrutiating !!

Could be dehydration, heat stroke or hemorrhaging of the cranial area due to the sonar boom. I was on the beach in NZ for pilot whales beached. You can hear their breathing and distress calls. After having been in a Kenyan hospital overlooking the Darfur spillovers, I can tell you the sounds are worse than that of a hospital full of sick and moaning patients.

Does anyone know why they do this ?

any best guesses ? is it old age ? disease ?

is it scientific projects that ruin their nav systems etc ?

I have heard lots of these reasonings .. but has anyone put any effort into finding out why ... perhaps they are trying to get out the wate ron purpose as it is too hot for them !! like we go for a swim when we get hot ! they go for a roll on the beach.

ps Drew .. signature says Canon s70 ... did you get it fixed ?