In April, more than 77 dead dolphins were registered in the waters of the Black Sea, in particular in the bays of Sevastopol and on other coasts of the occupied Crimea.
Another 25 dead dolphins with signs of damage from military sonar were found near Novorossiysk, Sochi, Gelendzhik and Anapa, Ivan Rusev, a biologist and ecologist from the Tuzlivski Lymani National Nature Park, reported on Facebook.
He emphasized that no dead dolphins were found in April in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, i.e. near Odesa and Zmiiny Island. On the contrary, they were repeatedly met playfully and alive.
Rusev said that bottlenose dolphins were the most common among the dolphins killed in Crimea, although in 2022 bottlenose dolphins and white-sided dolphins were found more often.
He added that if the number of recorded dead dolphins alone has already exceeded 100 individuals, the actual number of deaths is more than 1,000.
"This is a confirmation of the fact that the activity of enemy submarines and surface boats in that part of the Black Sea near Crimea and Novorossiysk is the main factor in the continued death of rare Black Sea animals now in April of 2023. In recent weeks, the OC "South" also warned about the activity of enemy naval equipment. They warned about the high missile threat of Caliber carriers and aviation," the biologist emphasized.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that in Odesa, employees of the national park Tuzlivski Lymani noticed in the waters of the Black Sea a pod of bottlenose dolphins. These are the first dolphins that, despite the war, returned after hibernation.
Earlier, EcoPolitic spoke with ecologist, doctor of biological sciences Ivan Rusev. He told that it was a year of war about three thousand dolphins died in Ukraine, and, in general, in the Black Sea - 50 thousand.
