[Research & Fieldwork]

Mass Dolphin Stranding

- Four dead tursiops -

On Thursday, January 10th 2002, 31 dolphins stranded on a rocky beach just south of Sur. The majority of the dolphins stranded alive, and local villagers spent hours trying to push them back out to sea. Initial attempts were unsuccessful, and many dolphins, once "re-floated" turned around and swam back onto the beach. Eventually, villagers were able to tow 20 of the dolphins back out to sea, and by the time members of the Oman Whale & Dolphin Research Group arrived on the scene, they found only 11 dead dolphins on the beach.

On Friday, January 12th, members of the research team worked together with veterinarian Marie Christine Maufrais-Vandi and biologists and staff from the Diwan and Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources to examine the dead dolphins. Initial analysis showed no obvious signs of pathology other than extensive bruising and haemorrhaging.

- Tim and Marie Christine -

Local villagers claimed that the dolphins were chased onto shore by predatory Orcas, and as there is no evidence to the contrary, this may indeed be the cause of the mass stranding. A number of the animals were taken back to Muscat for further examinations and additional support and advice was provided by veterinarians at the royal stables in Seeb. The team is still awaiting the results of analysis of tissue samples that were collected from the animals.

Although the majority of the dolphins were bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), three of the dead animals left on the beach were rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). These represent the first complete specimens of this species to be discovered in Oman. Previously, its presence in Oman was known only from a damaged skull that was found in Ra's Madrakah in 1984.