The dolphin was found on a beach in the residential area of Roquetas de Mar, in the south-eastern Spanish province of Almeria and police officers worked with members of the Equinac organisation to remove it. The dolphin reportedly had injuries all over its body and in the images the name ‘Juan’ can be seen carved into its side. Equinac coordinator Eva Maria Moron said that the injuries and name had not been done at the beach.
Speaking to Central European News (CEN), she said: “The injuries and the cuts were not done at the beach, it must have happened at sea and the storm has pulled it out of the water.”
Spanish Civil Guard sources told reporters that the Department of Marine Service has been investigating the appearance of other dolphins found dead on the beach for months and that the latest case will be added to the investigation.
Manu and Ana, members of Equinac, told local media: “We were overcome with indignation when we saw the name carved into the body, and other different cuts, something that was not done today nor at the beach.”
The animal is a female dolphin around 1.65 metres (5 feet 5 inches) long. “To you Juan, the one who did this, we only want to say that with a bit of luck we will catch you for another offence.”
Moron told CEN: “The main hypothesis is that this was not done at the beach, and that it was not alive when it was cut, but it is still unclear how the animal died, if it was due to human activity or something else.”
She also explained that according to the law, if a person finds a dead dolphin they should notify the authorities and she added that even fishermen who catch dolphins by accident in nets or hooks should notify the authorities too.
She added: “We want to make people aware of the importance of taking care of protected animals, such as marine turtles or dolphins, some people in the fishing industry are against these animals as for example they say that dolphins are eating their fish or breaking their nets and we should be aware of that.”
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been reported.