Black Sea Oil Spill: 32 Dolphins Die So Far
(MENAFN- UkrinForm) At least 32 dolphins died in the Black Sea due to fuel oil spill caused by an accident involving two Russian tankers in the stormy Kerch Strait.
Most of the cetaceans died in the first 10 days into the disaster, as reported by the Dolphin Rescue Center Delfa , Ukrinform saw.
"Since the emergency, we have recorded 61 dead cetaceans, of which 32 individuals died after December 15, whose deaths are most likely related to the oil spill. The rest had died before the emergency," the statement reads.
It is noted that the majority of these cetaceans died in the first 10 days into the disaster, and their bodies are being farther carried away by the sea. The victims were mostly Azov whales, which have always been the most vulnerable cetaceans.
Read also: Cleaning up Black Sea after fuel
spill could take decade, Russian officials say
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on January 3, fuel oil pollution was recorded in the temporarily occupied Crimea, at Cape Opuk and at the entrance to Balaklava Bay.
On December 15, Russian oil tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, more than 4,000 tons of fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea.
As Ukrinform reported ealier, the disaster caused by the tankers accident may lead to a major death toll across species populating the Black Sea. Currently, all the birds rescued in Crimea are being taken for shelter in the Taigan Lion Park, where no conditions are provided for their full rehabilitation.
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