Australian officials were on Wednesday searching for those responsible for killing a dolphin which was found stabbed to death on a beach.
The adult female dolphin sustained up to seven stab wounds, including a lethal wound to the heart, officials said.
Veterinarians and staff from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) removed the body from a beach near Geelong in the southern state of Victoria on Monday after being alerted by members of the public.
”This is a horrendous act of cruelty to one of Australia’s most-loved and iconic animals,” the department’s Ron Waters said in a statement.
”It is totally unacceptable and DSE will use information provided by the public to undertake vigorous investigations to find who is responsible.”
A post-mortem of the bottlenose dolphin, which probably died instantly from a punctured heart, found that two different knives could have been used in the attack.
Waters said the loss of a mature female dolphin could also affect the survival of the species in the area.
”It’s shocking, we’re all appalled by it and so are the public,” he told ABC radio.
”How anyone can kill a dolphin is beyond us.”
Under Australian law, any person found guilty of killing a dolphin can be fined in excess of Aus$100 000 ($77 000). They also face imprisonment if cruelty was involved in the offence. – AFP
