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Dolphins rescued off Philippines | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
Fishermen in the Philippines have rescued about 200 dolphins which became stranded in shallow waters near Manila. | |
Three of the dolphins were found dead and it was feared more would die unless they could be guided to deeper water. | |
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. | |
Beached dolphins are not uncommon in the Philippine archipelago but rarely occur in such large numbers. | |
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. | |
Disorientated | Disorientated |
"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. |
Two of the three dead dolphins were reported to have damaged eardrums. | |
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. |