ISLAMABAD: A WWF-Pakistan eco-guard working at Kakapir village rescued a dolphin at the Sandspit beach on Monday.
Abdullah Panjwani was collecting information about turtles when he noticed an 11-feet Arabian common dolphin (Delphinus capensis tropicalis) trapped in a shoal on the beach and struggling to return to the sea.
The dolphin also had wounds below its eye. The eco-guard rescued the dolphin in about half an hour and released it back into the sea at 5:30am.
A WWF-Pakistan official said this was the second time in the last few days that a rare and endangered marine species was rescued.
On February 10, a group of tuna fishermen while setting their nets in the offshore waters about 122 nautical miles off Khobar Creek saw a Longman’s beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus) trapped in a gillnet.
The rescue operation was conducted by the crew on Al-Azaan boat under the supervision of captain Iqrar Mohammad. They managed to rescue the whale in 30 minutes.
Naveed Ali Somoro, the in-charge of the WWF-Pakistan’s Wetland Centre at Sandspit, pointed out that fishermen and residents of coastal area have been made aware of the importance and conservation of dolphins, whales, and turtles. “Therefore, they safely release such species if they are found trapped,” he added.
He further said Panjwani was a trained WWF-Pakistan worker who had also rescued many turtle hatchlings. Panjwani said dolphins were considered friendly animals by fishermen.
“That’s why they don’t harm them when they are found trapped in nets,” he added.
In March 2009, around 250 pantropical spotted dolphins were beached on mass scale at the Gaddani beach and the WWF-Pakistan staff with the help of coastal communities had released almost all of them back into the water.
Lal Bibi had played a vital role in release of these dolphins. Therefore, the WWF-Pakistan, in recognition of her services, had awarded her the Syed Asad Ali Award for Nature Conservation.
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