Another dolphin injured in suspected boat strike
JUST days after Port River dolphin Oriana was spotted with horrific injuries from a boat strike, another dolphin appears to have been hit.
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JUST days after Port River dolphin Oriana was spotted with horrific injuries from a boat strike, another dolphin appears to have been hit.
Zoom was spotted by dolphin watchers with cuts on his side and tail.
Ms Boorman said it “certainly could be the result of a boat strike”.
“Hopefully a change can be made soon so we can offer better protection to the dolphins,” she said.
Dolphin watchers are urging people to keep their distance from a “severely injured” dolphin.
Port River favourite Oriana was discovered on Monday with a severe cut to her dorsal fin.
She also looked extremely thin and was moving very slowly.
Marianna Boorman from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) said people should stay at least 150m away from Oriana to allow her to rest and feed so she has the best chance of survival.
“She is one of our most loved and well known dolphins so it is heartbreaking to see her like this,” Ms Boorman said.
She said dolphins have a “remarkable ability to heal” if they are able to rest.
Messenger Community News started a campaign — with the support of the WDC — in April calling for a 10-knot (18km/h) speed limit to be introduced in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary following the release of a report by the SA Museum which revealed 17 out of 35 dolphin fatalities in the past 13 years were the result of blunt trauma impact which experts say could only have resulted from being hit by speeding boats.
