Carcass of finless porpoise found in Hong Kong, 23rd case of marine animal corpse discovered in city waters this year
- Authorities respond to call at 7.40am about animal spotted floating near Central pier
- Ocean Park Conservation Foundation confirms it was 1.67-metre-long Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, which is considered ‘vulnerable’, indicating high risk of extinction
The carcass of a finless porpoise was discovered in Hong Kong on Sunday morning, in the 23rd case of a marine mammal corpse being found in city waters this year.
Authorities responded to a call at 7.40am about an animal spotted floating near the Central pier. Police said officers were able to salvage the body from the water.
Staff from the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation later arrived at the scene and confirmed the carcass was that of a 1.67-metre-long (5.5-foot-long) adult Indo-Pacific finless porpoise. Its body was classified as “severely decomposed”.
The body was taken away by the foundation for further investigation and a necropsy – an animal autopsy.
A threatened species list from the International Union for Conservation of Nature indicates Indo-Pacific finless porpoises are considered “vulnerable” – at high risk of extinction.
The foundation estimates about 200 of them live in Hong Kong and adjacent waters.
The dead finless porpoise on Sunday was not the first to be discovered in the city this year.
Just a day earlier, authorities discovered the skeleton of another finless porpoise at Big Wave Bay on Lantau Island, also an adult and measuring 1.63 metres in length.
The foundation was in January given the carcass of a newborn finless porpoise found at the Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club with fishing gear entangled around its tail. Another carcass that washed up on a rocky beach in March near the club was found to have died from asphyxiation and drowning after it also became entangled.
The most recent discovery came weeks after the death of a Bryde’s whale off Sai Kung last month, which sparked debate about the effectiveness of government strategies to protect marine life after hordes of sightseers on boats flocked to observe the mammal.
A necropsy found the whale’s body had suffered several wounds, including a fresh one near its dorsal fin, which could have been caused by a propeller.
Twenty-three cases have been reported so far this year, including the two finless porpoises found over the weekend.
The foundation has appealed to members of the public to take away their rubbish after spending time in the sea or on beaches, and said the use of shampoo or shower gels should be avoided on boats to prevent chemical pollution in the ocean.
Judy Chen Qing, chairwoman of the foundation, said marine pollution, coastal development and fishing seriously endangered the survival of aquatic mammals and damaged their habitats.
Brian Kot Chin-wing, veterinary scientist at City University, earlier warned the public to pay more attention to the species of dolphins that call Hong Kong home.
He added that Chinese white dolphins and finless porpoises faced the same problems as the visiting Bryde’s whale every day.
