Pink Dolphin Carcass

The carcass of the critically endangered Taiwan pink dolphin found earlier this month on the Chunghua Coast at Shengu Village in Shengang Township is being kept at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung. The carcass is still awaiting examination as far as we know so the cause of death remains unknown.

We certainly hope that the Taiwan authorities will give full access to the carcass to independent experts. When access was given to independent international experts on the 2009 specimen, the head was still frozen and could not be examined properly. Access to a skeleton of the animal that stranded in 2000 has previously been given but many bones were missing so this obviously limited the value of such access. Access to view the skeleton of the stranded animal from 2009 has not been given to independent international experts to date. As the entire carcass was recovered in good condition this skeleton should be complete but the current status of the 2009 specimen is unknown and no official comprehensive scientific report on the results of tissue samples, causes of death etc has been issued.

We'll continue to update the blog with any additional information we learn on this tragic issue.

Carcass of a stranded Taiwan pink dolphin is removed by the Coast Guard:- photo Lee Creek-tin, Canton News.

Also see:
Another Taiwan Pink Dolphin Death (April 2011)
Taiwan Pink Dolphin Beaches and Dies on the Coast at Tonghsiao (Sept 2009)

Two Pink Dolphins found Dead in Hong Kong