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Dolphins stranded off Philippines Dolphins rescued off Philippines
(about 6 hours later)
At least 100 dolphins are stranded in shallow water near Manila, in the Philippines, after beaching themselves. Fishermen in the Philippines have rescued about 200 dolphins which became stranded in shallow waters near Manila.
Local officials say the dolphins are calm and swimming slowly, guided by local fishermen in boats. Three of the dolphins were found dead and it was feared more would die unless they could be guided to deeper water.
They say their first concern is to keep the dolphins alive, and experts have been summoned to the area to help. They have been identified as melon-headed whales, which despite the name are a type of dolphin that travels in large pods of several hundred.
Three are reported to have died so far. Beached dolphins are not uncommon in the Philippine archipelago but rarely occur in such large numbers. Beached dolphins are not uncommon in the Philippine archipelago but rarely occur in such large numbers.
Residents saw huge pods of dolphins near the towns of Pilar and Abucay on the Bataan peninsula west of Manila. Residents saw the huge pod of dolphins near the towns of Pilar and Abucay on the Bataan peninsula west of Manila.
The townspeople waded into the waters clapping and splashing to frighten the dolphins away, while the fishermen used their boats to guide the mammals out to deeper waters.
DisorientatedDisorientated
"This is an unusual phenomenon," Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Malcolm Sarmiento told local radio, adding there could be more than 200 of the stranded mammals. "This is an unusual phenomenon," Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Malcolm Sarmiento told local radio, adding there were more than 200 of the stranded mammals.
He said they could be reacting to a "heat wave or disturbance at sea" such as a possible major underwater earthquake.He said they could be reacting to a "heat wave or disturbance at sea" such as a possible major underwater earthquake.
"If their eardrums are damaged they become disorientated and they float up to the surface," he said."If their eardrums are damaged they become disorientated and they float up to the surface," he said.
He said smaller pods of dolphins numbering "in the 10s and 20s" had beached themselves elsewhere in the Philippines previously, but this was the first time so many had done so at the same time and place. Two of the three dead dolphins were reported to have damaged eardrums.
The governor of Bataan province, Enrique Garcia, said he was surprised by the event. Dolphin beachings, in smaller numbers, are common in the Philippines, but it is rare for melon-headed whales to venture so close to shore as they prefer the deep waters of the open ocean.