Dolphin deaths on gulf coast alarm scientists NEW ORLEANS Scientists are trying to figure out ( !

! "illed #$ %ottlenose dolphins many of them %a%ies so far this year in the &ulf of 'e(ico) as fi*e more of their carcasses +ashed up ,hursday in Louisiana) 'ississippi and Ala%ama- .t/s li"ely (0! months %efore they get %ac" la% +or" sho+ing +hat ($! the spontaneous a%ortions) premature %irths) deaths shortly after %irth and adult deaths said 1lair 'ase) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/s stranding coordinator for the &ulf 2oast- 3.t/s not li"e 2S. +here the (4! ne(t day they ha*e the results in.t doesn/t +or" that +ay) unfortunately)5 she said2al*es and fetuses made up at least 6# percent of the deaths in Ala%ama) 78 percent or more of those in 'ississippi and 9lorida and 08 percent in Louisiana) according to NOAA figures- ,he 'ississippi and Ala%ama deaths are in areas +here %ottlenose dolphins go to cal*e) said 'o%y Solangi) director of the .nstitute for 'arine 'ammal Studies in &ulfport- Solangi said he (#! anything li"e the calf deaths) or found +ord of anything li"e it in $8 years of records from his area Ala%ama) 'ississippi and east Louisiana- (7!) 'ase said 76 dolphins that +ashed up in east ,e(as in 'arch 088: also included an unusually large num%er of cal*es- ,he %odies +ere too decomposed to find the cause) she saidAlthough scientists are in*estigating +hether the deaths are related to last year/s huge 1; oil spill) they say to(ins from oil or chemicals used to disperse it are considered a less li"ely cause (:! cold or disease- ,hat/s %ecause only one species of dolphin and no other "ind of animal is dying) and %ecause the calf deaths appear concentrated in 'ississippi and Ala%ama rather than &ulf<+ide- ,he dolphins found ,hursday include three off Louisiana and one each off 'ississippi and Ala%ama) NOAA spo"es+oman =im Amendola said- ,he %odies (6!) so ages and si>es +ere not "no+n) she saidSince ?an- ) @ dead dolphins ha*e %een found (@! Louisiana) 7 off 'ississippi) # in Ala%ama and three in the 9lorida ;anhandle- 'ississippi and Ala%ama usually each see t+o to four ( 8! strandings a month at this time of year) 'ase said- Solangi said only si( of the 0$ cal*es found %y Wednesday in 'ississippi and Ala%ama +ere in good enough condition for a necropsy) the animal *ersion of an autopsy- 3We/*e collected tissues and sent them off to *arious la%oratories for pathology and to(icology)5 he said- 3All +e can tell is some of them may ha*e %een premature) some of them +ere still%orn and others may ha*e Aust sur*i*ed for a day or t+o and died-5 Dolphins usually cal*e in 'arch and April) he said- 1ecause those areas are remote) there/s no +ay to "no+ the true num%ers of dolphin strandings and deaths- 3,he num%er is not a%solute Aust a "ind of %arometer)5 'ase saida- that %- +hat c- +hich 0a-%e %-%eing c-to %e $a-affected %-caused c-made

4a-*ery %-such c-some #a-ne*er sa+ %-has ne*er seen c-had ne*er seen 7a-Although %-Bo+e*er c-Despite :a-than %-then c-as 6a-had not %een retrie*ed %-had not retrie*ed c-ha*e not %een retrie*ed @a-at %-a+ay c-off 8a-dolphins %-dolphin c-dolphines

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