30th April 2012

Dead Dolphin Recovered in Taranaki Died of Natural Causes

The preliminary pathology report on the dead Hector’s/Maui’s dolphin recovered from a Taranaki beach last week has indicated that the animal died of natural causes.

The results of the post-mortem by Massey University have confirmed that the animal was an adult male in poor body condition and it appears that a combination of health problems had likely contributed to its death. Further tests are underway to confirm this.

There were no obvious signs of trauma and nothing to suggest that the dolphin was caught in fishing nets or any other human interaction.

DNA samples have been taken to confirm whether the animal was a Hector’s or a Maui’s dolphin and those results could be at least two weeks away.

DOC will follow the standard process for recording and reporting dead Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins and notify stakeholders as information comes available. See link below.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin/docs-work/hectors-dolphin-incident-database/

ENDS

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