A humpback whale calf was found dead on Saturday (11) in the Mangue de Pedra, in the Buzios region of Rio de Janeiro. At about three tons, the animal was seen dead and in a state of decomposition. The carcass was removed from the beach on Monday (13).
According to the Buzios Department of Environment and Fisheries, a dolphin without a tail and six penguins have also been found on beaches since Friday, four of them already dead. Deaths may be linked to fishing nets.
Penguins and whales often migrate to the Southeast at this time of year. On the north coast of São Paulo, a record number of Magellanic penguins appeared there last month.
According to the secretary of Environment and Fisheries in Búzios, Duda Tedesco, on June 24, there was a notification of a whale trapped in a fishing net in the Araruama region. On June 27, she appeared at Arraial do Cabo, already dead and adrift.
The dolphin was found, without part of the tail, on Tucuns beach. Tedesco says he believes the animal had its body part cut off after wrapping itself in a fishing net.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon