RISSO'S dolphin (Wikipedia)
PAOAY, Ilocos Norte – A group of volunteers rescued a stranded sub-adult Risso’s dolphin spotted in the shallow waters of Barangay Masintoc here on Friday.
Provincial fishery officer Vanessa Abegail Dagdagan-Alimbuyuguen, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency, said the dolphin is now receiving supportive care from several trained responders and volunteers.
“Responders from Paoay are taking the lead in caring for the dolphin, along with personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Barangay Council of Masintoc, among others,” Dagdagan-Alimbuyuguen said.
According to the responders, the stranded dolphin was weak and had no buoyancy when found.
In Ilocos Norte, seeing a stranded marine animal is no longer unusual to locals, as a group of first responders, mostly government workers and volunteers, try to revive them.
A study by the Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network shows marine animals often get stranded fleeing fishermen or due to pollution-related sickness.
They also get stranded trying to flee bad weather, dynamite fishing, or get lost searching for food.
Over the past 15 years, records indicate that the Ilocos region has been among the leading areas for dolphin and whale strandings in the country. (PNA)