Black dolphins that have washed ashore in New Zealand can begin to explode en masse due to the processes taking place in their intestines. This poses a certain danger to people nearby.
The tragedy in New Zealand shook the whole world. Let's remind, 400 ordinary grinds (they are sometimes also called "black dolphins") washed ashore. Some of the animals were saved, but most of them died. Soon, about 11 km from the place of mass suicide, the second part of the tragedy occurred: more than 200 grinds threw themselves ashore. Interestingly, some of these animals were previously rescued mammals.
Local residents did their best for the affected animals. However, now the New Zealand authorities recommend to be extremely careful with the corpses, since gases accumulate in them during the decomposition process, and this can lead to explosions. "They swell up due to bacteria in the stomach, the intestines become crowded inside the carcass, and because of this, the animal explodes," said the Department of Conservation of New Zealand. Now experts are pumping gases out of corpses using special needles. Explosions sometimes happen, but so far none of them has caused any harm to people.
Authorities can also fence off dead animals to prevent the water from blowing their bodies towards nearby beaches. When the security issue is resolved, another will arise: what to do with the corpses of black dolphins? Experts believe that the wisest thing would be to take them to a special zone and bury them.
The common grind is a rather large animal. Males can reach a length of 8.5 m, and their weight is sometimes almost 4000 kg. Black dolphins live in flocks of up to 1,000 individuals. Grinda feed mainly on shellfish and fish.
The main question, of course, concerns the causes of this tragedy. But scientists cannot yet give an unambiguous answer to it. Some experts believe that the death of animals is associated with the work of acoustic systems of warships. They caused confusion among the pack leaders, who led other animals aground.
Ilya Vedmedenko