This summer lays claims to the second highest record of simultaneous dolphin deaths in history. All along the coast from New York to North Carolina, 558 dolphins washed ashore, either taking their last breaths, or already dead. ?Though an outbreak of a common virus is the ultimate cause of these deaths, researchers are suggesting that without human caused pollution, many of these dolphins would still be alive.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?(NOAA) is so rattled by these mass dolphin deaths, they have labeled it an ?unusual mortality event.? The initial cause of death for most of these animals is the morbillivirus, an RNA virus that is linked to measles in humans and distemper in dogs. There is no cure, currently, for morbillivirus in dolphins, but scientists are being led to believe that these animals should normally have been able to fight this virus off.
An overabundance of farmland runoff coupled with general, human caused, pollution is crowding the ocean with bacteria and fungi. These pollutants are then being transferred to small sea creatures that are consumed by larger fish. After this consumption, dolphins are finding these fish an appetizing menu option, thus spreading the fungi and bacteria’s into the dolphins.
With these new and powerful pollutants being ingested by the dolphin community, it is slowly breaking down their immune systems. With lower immune systems, like humans, it is harder to fight off a virus, especially a powerful one like the morbillivirus. These dolphins were sick before they even caught the virus to begin with.
With the recent scientific discoveries on the shape of our oceans, and the ongoing fight to clean them up, this epidemic may not have an end in sight.
Due to the government shutdown, no comments were available from the NOAA at this time.
Watch a reports on dolphin deaths here:
Edited/Published by: SB
