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Polythene consumption leads to death of porpoise

Staff Reporter

Awareness programmes on eco-friendly disposal of the material stressed

BHUBANESWAR: Even as deaths of dolphins are largely attributed to dashing of the aquatic animal with mechanized motorboats, Chilika Development Authority's (CDA) recent examination has come across a new source of death.

The CDA researchers said an adult individual of Black Finless porpoise from family of dolphins, which was found dead from Baliapanda Beach of Puri coast, had consumed polythene materials.

"From analysis of the gut contents, it was ascertained that cause of the death was due to intake of polythene materials that blocked from gullet to stomach. Perhaps the animal could not take food and breathe.It died either due to anorexia or fasting," the report said.

The researchers said the Black Finless porpoise resembled closely with Irrawaddy dolphins but it did not have a dorsal fin and the average size the species was about half of an adult Irrawaddy dolphin.

"The lesson learnt from this incidence is that disposing of polythene materials in and around aquatic habitat (freshwater, brackish water and marine) is not only polluting the habitats but also very harmful to the aquatic life in general," CDA's Chief Executive Officer Sudarshan Panda said.

He said awareness programme on environmental friendly disposal of polythene material was highly essential to prevent this kind of incidence in and around aquatic habitats of the State and particularly in Chilika lagoon where tourist inflow was high.

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