Endangered humpback dolphin dies on Kozhikode coast after swallowing fishing net

An endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin has been found dead on Kozhikode beach, with a post-mortem examination showing that a mass of fishing net lodged in its stomach had starved the animal to death.

The carcass, about 158 cm long and 140 cm in girth, washed ashore on Thursday. The necropsy was carried out by K.M. Manojlal, chief veterinary officer at the District Veterinary Centre, Kozhikode, in the presence of officials from the Kozhikode Range Forest Division.

Officials said the carcass was more than 10 days old and in an advanced stage of decomposition. Even though the internal organs had largely broken down, the oesophagus and stomach were examined closely. A large, compacted mass of fishing net was found filling the stomach cavity, blocking the animal from feeding and leading to severe starvation.

This is the second such death in the region in recent months. In July, a dolphin weighing around 200 kg washed ashore on the same beach. Its organs were mostly functioning normally, but the autopsy found an empty stomach and a 2-kg plastic fishing net tightly stuck in the oesophagus, which was held to have disrupted feeding and caused death.

The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Environmentalists and marine experts have sought urgent steps, including the removal of plastic debris and abandoned or lost fishing gear — known as 'ghost nets' — from coastal waters to prevent further harm to marine life.