A seven-foot-long Irrawaddy dolphin has been found dead at Kuakata beach in Patuakhali. Its head is covered with torn mesh.

Locals saw the dolphin on the east side of zero point of Kuakata beach on Saturday morning. The dolphin is believed to have floated in the night tide. Earlier on May 2, another dead Irrawaddy dolphin washed up on the beach.

Abdul Qayyum, a local resident, said that the sea is rough due to the effect of low pressure. In the meantime, the dolphin got stuck on the beach with the waves. However, the entire skin of the dolphin’s body has been removed. It may have died after being caught in a prison net.

Sagarika Smriti, associate researcher of Patuakhali district of Ecofish-2 activity of the international research organization Worldfish, said that since the net was stuck in the mouth of this dolphin, it seems that it died because of the torn net. Looking at the condition of the body, it seems that it died two or three years ago. He also said, ‘In the last few years, there have been a lot of dolphin deaths. We are conducting research to find out the reason behind the large number of dolphin deaths.’

A voluntary organization called Dolphin Raksha Committee is working to sensitize the fishermen in Kuakata beach area. Its team leader Ruman Imtiaz Tushar said, “As soon as we got the news, we made arrangements to rescue the dolphin and bury it with the help of the forest department and locals.”