Rescued bottlenose dolphin freed in Zambo City

A STRANDED Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin was rescued and released back into the waters on the same day in a west coast village of Zamboanga City.

Freddie Bagaan, head of the City Fishery Law Enforcement Team (CFLET), said the dolphin was rescued and freed back to its natural habitat on Sunday, February 19, off Sitio San Ramon in Talisayan village.

Bagaan said the dolphin was jointly released by his team, personnel of the Coast Guard-San Ramon Sub-station and Talisayan Barangay Council after making sure that the dolphin was safe and in good condition.

He said the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is listed by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “near threatened” in its red list of endangered species.

He said that another stranding incident occurred on Friday, February 17, when an adult female pygmy sperm whale was found beaching itself on the shore in Baliwasan village.

The Baliwasan Barangay Council turned over the carcass to the CFLET and Police Maritime Group for species identification and proper disposal.

Bagaan said that upon examination, injuries and infection were found in the whale's body that probably caused its death.

The species identification and examination were conducted by Ramil delos Reyes, a Marine Biologist and CFLET member. (SunStar Zamboanga)