Young Mandurah Dolphin LouLou Succumbs to Stranding and Severe Sunburn
A dramatic drop in the tide last Saturday led to the tragic death of a young dolphin and left two others stranded in the Mandurah waterways. This incident has brought renewed attention to the growing pressures facing the region's dolphin population.
The deceased dolphin, known locally as LouLou, was found dead after becoming stranded. This marks the fourth death of a Mandurah dolphin in the past three months, with all fatalities attributed to strandings or entanglement in marine debris.
LouLou's Struggles with Entanglement and Sunburn
Estuary Guardians Mandurah reported that LouLou, who was not yet three years old, had previously become entangled by marine debris around his tail. This entanglement likely limited his swimming ability and made him more vulnerable to further incidents.
More recently, LouLou was one of two dolphins observed in Mandurah suffering from fresh and severe sunburn. His injuries were reported to be the most extensive among the affected animals.
It is believed he may have succumbed to infection or sepsis as a result of the extensive burns across his back, or possibly became stranded again. "Either way, he suffered," an Estuary Guardians Mandurah spokesperson said in a recent Facebook post about the strandings.
Lack of Resources for Investigation and Prevention
Resources or funding were not available to quickly recover LouLou's body for a post-mortem examination. The spokesperson noted that such an examination could have provided vital information about the exact cause of his death.
Estuary Guardians Mandurah emphasized that the area is a known dolphin stranding hotspot. They expressed concern that the State Government has not provided adequate resources to address this ongoing problem.
"The dolphins will be more and more impacted by our increasing population, increased boating, increased water pollution, and climate change," the spokesperson warned.
Calls for Government Action and Research Initiatives
The organization is calling on the State Government to address this known problem by supplying vital missing equipment to their staff and upgrading the lens on monitoring cameras to cover more area effectively.
In November last year, Mandurah Cruises committed $50,000 to the Mandurah Dolphin Research Project. This funding supports research into live strandings that are prevalent in Mandurah's bottlenose dolphin population.
The project aims to contribute to improving early detection of live stranded animals and inform appropriate timely rescue responses. As part of this research collaboration, research leader Krista Nicholson will provide crew training and blog posts, which will be shared on Mandurah Cruises' tours and website.
Community Responsibility and Conservation Efforts
"If you keep distance from the dolphins, don't boat or ski over them, take home your rubbish, and appreciate how lucky we are, we applaud you," a Mandurah Dolphin Research Project spokesperson said.
"It matters, and it helps. These are little things we can all do to help make the lives of these wild dolphins living among us a little easier."
The community has expressed sorrow over LouLou's passing, with the research project adding: "Vale, Lou Lou. Born into dangerous waters, both entangled and stranded in your short life, we are sorry."
This tragic event underscores the urgent need for better protection measures and increased awareness about human impacts on marine wildlife in the Mandurah region.
