“Please report all known finds of dead dolphins!” reads a recurring post on a Facebook page he runs.
After locating a dead dolphin, if the carcass is intact, Pavel performs a necropsy to try to determine the cause of death to learn more about how and why so many of Ukraine’s dolphins are dying.
A scientific study estimated that between 37,500 to 48,000 dolphins in the Black Sea died over a three month period after the full-scale invasion.
This terrible figure amounts to around 15 to 20 percent of the total population – a death rate which is ten times higher than before the outbreak of war with Russia in 2022.
“The population can simply not withstand that type of death rate,” explained Naomi Rose, an expert on marine mammals.
The impact of the war highlights the vulnerability of aquatic animals to the bombings and mines that have become common along the coastal areas of #Ukraine.
New dolphins raised in captivity have also found their way to these waters in a very different capacity: as a weapon in the Russian military’s arsenal.
The dolphins are likely used to patrol the area looking for Ukrainian divers sent to spy; to protect ships against Ukrainian divers planting mines attached by magnets; or to collect military equipment that has fallen on the seafloor.
For a lot of people, including Pavel, using dolphins in the military is not only unethical but also pointless.
#Iran launched more than 100 drones toward Israel yesterday, with most being intercepted by U.S., British, Jordanian, and Israeli air defenses during their long route.
A recent strike on Ukrainian gas storage in the west of the country caused a spike in European gas prices, and continued Russian strikes on the rest of Ukrainian energy infrastructure will impact prices globally.
Add comment