200 Dolphins Flock to Shallow Waters

Written by djMIA on February 10, 2009

(this is where I'm from!)

ORION, Philippines (Feb. 10) - At least 200 melon-head dolphins flocked to shallow waters of Manila Bay on Tuesday, prompting a massive rescue by hundreds of volunteers and fishermen who used their boats and hands to drive them back to deep seas.

The unusual occurrence may have been triggered by a sea quake that could have damaged the dolphins' eardrums and disoriented them, or the pod could have been following a sick or injured leader, Malcolm Sarmiento, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said in a telephone interview.He said the dolphins — between 200 and 300 of them — were spotted about a mile off shore, swimming back and forth between Pilar and Orion townships in Bataan province.Fishermen and villagers trooped to the beach and waded into the chest-deep water, clapping their hands and hitting the surface to drive the dolphins away. More than 20 boats with their engines shut guided the animals to the open sea."It's something unusual. It's the first time that such a large pod has entered Manila Bay, and is acting strangely," Sarmiento said.Alberto Venturina, the provincial veterinarian, said three dead dolphins found beached farther up north in Abucay township include two adult females, one of which was pregnant, and an infant male. The two adults had damaged eardrums, he added.Another beached dolphin was in the process of being rescued, Venturina said.