At least 38 dead dolphins have been washed ashore on the island of Mauritius in the aftermath of a massive oil leak of a Japanese ship. The die-off has not yet been directly linked to the game, and officials are still investigating the causes of death, Reuters reports.
The dolphins mysteriously washed ashore this week, prompting environmentalists to determine whether the game was the cause of death. Dead eels, crabs and seabirds were also found after the game.
“An urgent investigation is needed to determine the cause of the strandings and if they are linked to the spill,” Greenpeace Africa said in a statement Wednesday.
Officials said preliminary tests on two dolphins did not reveal any traces of oil.
“Preliminary results show that the animals have no trace of hydrocarbon in their breathing, nor in their skin, throat or stomach,” according to an autopsy report quoted by Reuters.
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Both dolphins examined by veterinarians found injuries on their bodies.
On July 25, the MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping, played 1,000 tons of its cargo of 4,000 tons of oil in the sea along the coastline of Mauritius, including in a protected wetland area. Activists said the game threatened 35 years of restoration work by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, which reintroduced many endangered species to the area.
“This is a deeply sad and alarming day for the people of Mauritius and for its one-sided biodiversity, even known and appreciated by the global biodiversity community,” said Happy Khambule, Greenpeace Africa Senior Climate and Energy Campaign Manager. “Greenpeace calls on the authorities to carry out a rapid, transparent and public autopsy on the bodies collected.”
Thousands of locals jumped into action after the game, work quickly to remove wildlife and plant life from the affected area. But scientists and activists are worried that the game will have an impact on local wildlife in the coming years.
“We have planted about 200,000 native trees to restore the coastal forest,” Jean Hugue Gardenne of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation told The Associated Press. “We reintroduced endangered birds, including the pink dove, the olive white eye and the critically endangered Mauritius fody for the Isle aux Aigrettes. Now all this is threatened as the oil seeps into the ground and the coral reefs.”
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Greenpeace Africa warned that “thousands” of species are “at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for the economy, food security and health of Mauritius.”
Activists believe the deaths were caused by the spill itself, as well as the subsequent sinking of the ship. Authorities deliberately sank part of the ship after it split in two.
“The decision to dump the pre-existing section of the MV Wakashio is of great concern to experts who are considering the potential for additional severe environmental effects beyond the damage already done,” Greenpeace Africa said.
The environmental organization also called on the companies involved to launch an independent public inquiry into the disaster and to leave the waters in the surrounding area “to ensure protection of the island.”
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