Two dolphins stranded at Baie Orientale
On Wednesday 1 July, at around 9 am, the team from the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve Management Association was informed that two dolphins had become stranded on Baie Orientale beach.
Following reports of marine mammals, officers went to the scene. They observed two individuals identified as blue-and-white dolphins, or striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), a species rarely seen in the coastal waters of Saint Martin. One of the animals was an adult, which was already dead, whilst the other was a juvenile, still alive at the time of the intervention. The gendarmerie, the Collectivité’s Environment Brigade and the STIS of Saint Martin also attended the scene to secure the area and prevent any risk of disease transmission between the animal and humans. The AGRNSM team, which is part of the National Stranding Network, carried out the necessary scientific surveys as part of the marine mammal monitoring and conservation programme. The cause of death of the adult, which bore several signs of injury, is not yet known. Its carcass was collected by the technical services of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and disposed of at the Grandes Cayes site. The calf, which was still alive at the time of the intervention, was taken into care and released back into the water, alive, in a calm area some distance from the coast. If you spot any marine mammals in distress or stranded, please contact the AGRNSM on +590 690 34 77 10, the Guadeloupe branch of the National Stranding Network on +590 690 57 19 44, or the Gendarmerie. For further information: https://sanctuaire-agoa.fr/que-faire-en-cas-dechouage
