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Dead porpoises on Ameland beach: "This is extraordinary and worrying"
Photo:
Rob Knoeff / dpa
Dozens of dead porpoises have washed up on the Dutch Wadden Islands, worrying environmentalists.
The high number of dead whales is very unusual and the cause is not yet known, said the Dutch nature conservation organization "Natuurmonumenten".
Some of the whales were brought to the University of Utrecht for examination, where, among other things, the health status and stomach contents of the animals will be examined.
There is much speculation about the cause, said nature overseer Cynthia Borras. It could be a porpoise epidemic. On the other hand, work is currently being carried out on a wind turbine park in the Wadden Sea and an international navy campaign to dispose of old ammunition in the Wadden Sea has recently started. Both could therefore affect the life of the whales. "I've lived on Schiermonnikoog for 15 years, but I've never been through anything like that," said Borras. "Sometimes you find a dead seal or a dead porpoise on the beach, but so many animals at once, that is extraordinary and worrying."
As the nature expert said, these are adult whales with a length of 1.40 to 1.70 meters that are already heavily decayed.
The dead animals have probably been in the sea for a long time and then driven to the shore by a strong wind.
Result of old ammunition detonations?
In Germany, the chairwoman of the porpoise association, Denise Wenger, worries about the possible causes of whale death.
“Several of the whales in the photos had bruises and skin defects that were untypical for feeding marks.
So my first thought was that it could be a result of old ammunition blasting. «The high number of dead whales suggests that no measures had been taken to protect the animals from the deadly sound pressure in the current mine blasts.
For years there have been efforts to neutralize the large number of duds from the Second World War that are still in the North Sea. In the Lower Saxony part of the North Sea alone, around 7.35 tons of World War II ammunition were disposed of last year. According to official estimates, there are around 1.3 million tons of ammunition from World War II in the German North Sea alone.
So far, no accumulation of dead porpoises has been found along the Lower Saxony coast.
Dead finds, mostly of young animals, occur again and again, especially in summer, said Christian Abel, who is responsible for marine mammals at the Lower Saxony National Park Administration in Wilhelmshaven.
Then the rearing phase of the animals comes to an end.
In addition, more people are then on the beaches who report finds.
Up to 80 dead porpoises would be found along the coast on average each year, said the expert.
So far, the volume this year has been in the "normal scope".
ptz / dpa