More than 30 dead dolphins have been found in the sea following an oil spill caused by the wreck of two tankers during a storm last month in the Kerch Strait, according to the dolphin rescue center Delpha, which shared the findings on its Telegram channel.
“Since the incident, we have recorded 61 dead cetaceans, 32 of which likely died after December 15 and are most likely linked to the oil spill. The rest died before the incident — these are very old carcasses,” the center stated.
“For this time of year (outside the stranding season), this is an unusually high number of deaths. Judging by the condition of the carcasses, most of these cetaceans likely died within the first 10 days after the disaster, and the sea continues to bring their bodies ashore. The main victims are Azov dolphins, which have always been the most vulnerable among cetaceans,” the statement said.
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