DAGUPAN CITY—Five dolphins were seen along the coastal waters here the other day and two of them beached. However one died while the other was wounded but released back to the sea while the rest casually swam back.

Dr. Westly Rosario, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) center chief here, told this writer that before lunch Saturday, Emma Molina, the city agriculturist reported to him about one wounded dolphin which was kept inside an empty fish cage in Bonuan Sabangan here.

Rosario instructed his aquaculturist Rocky Ferrer who was trained about caetaceans (whales and dolphins) to look into the dolphin’s condition and to give the necessary medical aid.

After treating the bottle-nosed dolphin (Stenella longinostris), grayish in color, with whitish belly and about four feet long, it was brought back to the sea.

But based on the account of a certain Charlie Dacanay, a beachgoer, he allegedly saw five dolphins.

Later, about 5:00 p.m. Saturday, the maritime police went to the BFAR center here located in Bonuan Binloc to turn over another dolphin which had also bullet wounds. It was believed that this is part of the group of five of dolphins sighted along Bonuan area that day.

However, while Rosario was giving instructions to his men on what to do about it, the second dolphin died and was buried inside the 500 square-meter lot whales and dolphins cemetery inside the BFAR compound.

Rosario appealed to the people not to harm these sea animals especially that there are three more in the group which are believed to be swimming around the area.

Several dolphins and whales sharks have been sighted along the coastal areas here and in the towns of Binmaley, Lingayen and San Fabian. Some of them beached after being wounded with gun shots. Some were successfully treated and brought back to the sea while others died.