In the night of 24 to 25 October, 79 dolphins were stranded near the harbour of Jask (East of the Strait of Hormuz). It concerned a group of mainly striped dolphins. The Striped Dolphin is occasionally seen in the Netherlands. When the local population in Iran discovered the stranded animals, most were still alive. Unfortunately however, the attempts to take the dolphins back to sea failed. The area where the animals were stranded has a slightly slanting coast. This causes big differences between high and low tide and sand flats of 5 km appear during low tide.
Mostafa Shahi Ferdous, a young Iranian vet, who is part of a group of enthusiastic researchers, is working on a large project in Iran in cooperation with the SRRC. This project includes: setting up a stranding network along the Caspian coast and the Persian Gulf and initiating a scientific research project. In cooperation with various other institutes, research is being carried out on the Caspian seal and other fauna in the Caspian Sea. A rehabilitation and information centre for and about, among others, seals and birds will be a part of this project. The Iranian team is being backed by the SRRC. Mostafa gained the necessary knowledge about carrying out autopsies on porpoises during his training in Pieterburen. This enabled him to carry out autopsies on the stranded dolphins in Iran.
At the moment, all possible causes for the stranding are being researched; the virology department of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam is involved in the virology study. Meanwhile, Mostafa and his team have started workshops to set up local aid for stranded dolphins. With a coastline of almost 2000 kilometres that is not an easy task! The SRRC's seal first-aid network is serving as their prime example.
11-18-2007 Source: SRRC Lenie 't Hart
