FRILL, the dolphin found with extensive sunburn in the Peel Inlet in mid-January, has died.
The Mandurah Dolphin Rescue Project said in a Facebook post today that Frill was found dead on Sunday morning.
The group had earlier posted on January 18 that the dolphin had been found, but they anticipated a full recovery.
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READ NOWUnfortunately, that was not the case.
“As many of you may have heard already, sadly Frill the sunburnt dolphin was found dead on Sunday morning,” the group wrote in a Facebook post.
“She was a well known female to our research team.
“She was an adult female who recently weaned off a calf called Krill.”
The group issued a call for people who spot distressed dolphins to let them know.
“The tragedy is that no one found her while she was stranded and therefore we could not help her get to deeper waters before she suffered the burns,” it said.
“In Mandurah, the Mandurah Dolphin Rescue Group monitors areas where individuals may strand during extreme tides.
“The size of the Peel-Harvey waterways is so vast that they and our research team can’t cover everywhere.
“This is where we would like to encourage people to keep a look out when on the estuary and if you ever see a dolphin, or any other wildlife in distress, please call the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction WILDCARE helpline on 08-9474 9055.”