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About 25 cetaceans are found dead near the oil spill in Mauritius

2020-08-27T18:37:36.433Z


The Government denies that the stranding is related to the spill, but Greenpeace calls for an independent investigation


The corpse of a cetacean lies stranded in the Grand Sable area of ​​Mauritius, this Wednesday, August 26.STRINGER / Reuters

About 25 cetaceans have been found dead or about to die in the last 48 hours on the coasts near the place where the 1,000 tonnes of oil spilled on Mauritius three weeks ago. Most of them are melon-headed dolphins ( Peponocephala electra ), although pilot whales or pilot whales, of the genus Globicephala , have also been identified . The Government denies that this stranding is related to the accident of the Japanese oil tanker MV Wakashio and its recent sinking, but activists, experts and a large part of the population do believe it. Greenpeace demands an independent investigation.

The echoes of the oil spill that spread for about 15 kilometers off the southeast coast of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, are far from dying down. The appearance of the bodies of some 25 cetaceans in the Grand Sable area, located less than 10 kilometers from the northern limit of the spill, has once again raised the tension between the Government and the population. Fisheries Minister Sudheer Maudhoo ruled out the link between the spill and the stranding on the basis of preliminary autopsy results on two specimens. “From the first information I have, it seems that there is no relationship. There is no trace of hydrocarbon on them or in their respiratory system, ”he said. However, images disseminated on social networks and by Greenpeace show the presence of a viscous black substance in the mouth and on the body of the animals.

The death of at least 17 dolphins is a great loss for Mauritius's #Biodiversity, and necessitates a thorough investigation.

If the recent oil spill is indeed the cause of this tragedy, then those responsible for it MUST be held accountable! #BreakFreeFromFossilFuels
📸: Shav pic.twitter.com/RCLsZUcgpM

- Greenpeace Africa (@Greenpeaceafric) August 27, 2020

Before the autopsy results were released, Owen Griffiths, a member of the NGO Mauritius Marine Conservation Society, assured France Press that it could be an "unfortunate coincidence". The ecologist advanced his theory: “They probably followed a school of fish into the lagoon, lost their reference points and could not return to the sea. They then tried to go back by directly over the barrier reef instead of finding a corridor. Panicked and stressed, they hit the corals, were exhausted and died ”. Jacqueline Sauzier, president of the NGO who appeared with the minister at a press conference on Wednesday, added that "these things happen often."

However, other experts, such as the environmental advisor Sunil Mokshanand Dowarkasing, consider that this is a direct consequence of the toxicity of the water due to the spill or the recent sinking of a part of the ship. “It is not a coincidence that this happens 20 days after the spill. All the people consulted assure that something like this had never happened, so the logical conclusion is that it is related. When you alter an ecosystem that will have consequences, the ship was sunk without adopting the necessary preventive measures. I think this is the cause. Nobody believes any report from the Government or any expert who works for them, ”he said.

  • The ship that caused the oil spill on the island of Mauritius breaks in two

“Everyone in Mauritius agrees that it is not normal. We no longer trust the Government, which has been denying its responsibility from the very beginning, ”adds Romina Tello, owner of the sustainable travel agency Mauritius Conscious. While the public media offer positive information, social networks boil with images that show another reality. This Saturday a demonstration is planned that is expected to be massive demanding transparency and honesty from the Government that has been organized by the well-known athlete Bruneau Laurette.

At the moment, samples of the animals have been sent to a second laboratory located on the French island of Reunion, located in the same area of ​​the Indian Ocean, for a second opinion. Greenpeace has demanded "a public, transparent and rapid autopsy of the bodies collected," said Happy Khambule, head of climate and energy campaigns for the environmental organization. Similarly, the Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), in opposition, has shown its "skepticism" regarding the statements of the Minister of Fisheries and has joined the request for an independent investigation.

  • The 'whale of the Basques' is in critical danger

The Japanese freighter MV Wakashio, which was sailing from China to Brazil under the Panamanian flag, ran aground on a coral reef off Pointe d'Esny, on the southeast coast of Mauritius, on July 25. About ten days later and after huge cracks opened in the hull, part of the 4,000 tons of oil that it stored inside began to leak. In total, it is estimated that 1,000 tons were dumped into the sea and that reached the coast in the form of chapapote along some 15 kilometers, from Pointe d'Esny to Bois des Amourettes, a particularly sensitive area of ​​lagoons and mangroves with rich biodiversity.

The Mauritian government, with French and Japanese help, managed to extract the rest of the crude from inside the ship before it split in two on 15 August. This week, in the midst of a great controversy and public rejection considering that it was an attempt to hide evidence, he proceeded to sink the bow of the cargo ship to the bottom of the sea. The captain and his second mate, from India and Sri Lanka respectively, were arrested and declared before a judge that the accident was the result of human error because they were “celebrating a birthday”. Radar images recorded in the days leading up to July 25 show that the MV Wakashio changed its navigational course and headed towards Mauritius at least 48 hours before it ran aground.

Source: elparis

All life articles on 2020-08-27

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