AFRICA: Traditional dolphin hunts in the Solomon Islands are among the world’s largest, researchers in the US have found, with over 1,600 dolphins killed in a 2013 hunt alone.
A study in Fanalei village, on the island of South Malaita, recorded an overall tally of 15,400 dolphins killed between 1976-2013 .
The dolphins are mainly killed for their teeth, a local currency often used to pay dowries for brides and for ceremonial jewellery.
Despite recent attempts from environmentalists and government to stamp out the practise, the local price of a dolphin tooth rose from the equivalent of 14 US cents in 2004 to about 70 US cents in 2013.
“The large number of dolphins killed and the apparent incentive for future hunting offered by the increasing commercial value of teeth highlight an urgent need to monitor hunts and assess the abundance and trends in local populations,” the report, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, said.
The Solomon Islands has a long history of “drive hunting”, however it is now limited to just a few villages.
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