By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Over 100 dolphins have been found dead on an island off the coast of Mozambique.
Eighty-six more carcasses were found on Bazaruto Island, north of the capital Maputo, on Tuesday, after a first group was washed ashore on Sunday.
The cause of the deaths is still unknown, the country’s environment ministry said, and more experts are heading to the site.
One possible experts are investigating is if a cyclone may have contributed.
Last week’s Cyclone Guambe caused unrest in the waters off the island of Bazaruto, the head of inspection at the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Tomás Manasse, said.
Naturenews reports that Tropical Cyclone Guambe was the third in a row of consecutive tropical cyclones to impact the country of Mozambique since December 2020, following Cyclone Eloise.
Guambe originated from a tropical disturbance in the Mozambique Channel on 10 February. Two days later, the system developed into a subtropical depression that made landfall in Mozambique. The storm proceeded to make a clockwise loop over the country for the next several days, while dumping prolific amounts of rainfall in the region, before re-emerging into the Mozambique Channel on 16 February.
Soon afterward, the system strengthened into a moderate tropical storm and was named Guambe. A couple of days later, Guambe began undergoing rapid intensification, reaching tropical cyclone status on 19 February, and peaking as a Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone shortly afterward. Afterward, Guambe underwent an eyewall replacement cycle and weakened back into a severe tropical storm on 20 February.
After making landfall in Mozambique on 12 February as a subtropical low, Guambe’s precursor disturbance caused widespread flooding across Mozambique, which destroyed homes and crops, and also displaced thousands of people weeks after Cyclone Eloise made landfall near the same location.
Manasse added that dolphins are known to follow their leader to shore when they are in danger.
The autopsy did not conclusively find problems with the skin, tongue or intestines, he said, however, more samples have been sent to a laboratory in Maputo.
Last year, 52 dead dolphins were found on the coast of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.