In the Odesa region, during monitoring of the coast of the national nature park "Tuzly Estuaries," the bodies of another 13 Azov dolphins were discovered over the past few days. The press service of the national park reported this, writes UNN.
In just a few days, park workers found the bodies of another 13 Azov dolphins. Meanwhile, since the end of May, 67 dead dolphins have been officially recorded on the territory of the national park, washed ashore by the sea. These rare marine mammals have become the latest victims of Russia's war against Ukraine
However, scientists note that this is only part of the real losses, as a significant number of bodies remain on the seabed or disappear before they can be documented. According to estimates, over the past months, the total number of dead dolphins has reached several thousand. Waves are also massively washing their bodies onto the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania.
Recording dead Azov dolphins is a constant race against time. If the body cannot be documented immediately, the statistics no longer reflect the real picture. The tide often takes the small dolphins back into the sea, and jackals drag them far from the coast, into dense thickets on the dunes, where finding them is almost impossible. That is why the official figures are only the minimally confirmed part of a large-scale environmental catastrophe, — explained the park, adding that the Russians' war against Ukraine destroys everything in its path every day: takes human lives, destroys cultural heritage, and mercilessly destroys the unique nature and biodiversity of the Black Sea
Scientists called the mass death of dolphins one of the "most tragic testimonies of this ecocide."