Between late February and August 2022, the number of their carcasses that washed ashore was reported to be twice the national average stranding rate for 2019–21.
Marine biologists and ecologists from countries bordering the Black Sea are becoming increasingly alarmed by the situation as dolphins continue to die en masse. Evidence is being gathered to prove the Russian naval forces' connection to the tragedy.
Ukrainian journalist Mariana Verbovska visited National Nature Park "Tuzlivski lymany", the last national park in Ukraine that is not occupied by Russia and still has access to the Black Sea. There, scientists are still able to carry out proper monitoring.
Due to the ongoing war, journalists in Ukraine must obtain permits and accreditation to cover certain issues. One of these is covering Russia’s military crimes. In this case, accreditation must be issued by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a specific investigation, and it only remains valid for media representatives who are equipped with body vests and helmets. Marina obtained all the necessary documents and equipment, only to discover that she was actually the first journalist to receive official permission to enter the area.
Ivan Rusev, Head of Research at Tuzlivski Lymany, estimates that 37,500–48,000 cetacean carcasses were discovered during the first three months of military operations in the Black Sea.
Mariana also met Pavlo Goldin, a zoologist specialising in marine mammal populations at the Ukrainian Scientific Centre for Marine Ecology. He performed necropsies on several dolphins and sent samples to experts at the Universities of Padua in Italy and Hannover in Germany for further analysis. According to Goldin, there are several working hypotheses for such significant cetacean mortality, all of which are connected to military activity to varying degrees.
Photo: Zoologist Pavlo Goldin preparing to perform a necropsy on a dolphin (from Goldin's personal archive).
