An autopsy on a dead dolphin found by Morigenos researchers in late June off Strunjan revealed that the dolphin died as a result of a gunshot wound.

In late June, the Morigenos research team found a dead dolphin off Strunjan. It was a male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), a species regularly present in the northern Adriatic Sea and in the Gulf of Trieste. Morigenos – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society has been studying and monitoring the dolphin population in the Gulf of Trieste and surrounding waters for the past 22 years.

Morigenos researchers carried out the first external inspection of the animal in the field. The carcass was already quite decomposed, so it was not possible to determine whether it was one of the dolphins already photo-identified by Morigenos in the northern Adriatic.

As is already established practice, a thorough post-mortem examination was carried out the following day at the National Veterinary Institute of the Veterinary Faculty in Ljubljana, in collaboration between Morigenos and the National Veterinary Institute. At the time of the autopsy, various samples were taken for further diagnostic tests. After all the analyses were carried out, the autopsy results showed that the dolphin had been shot.

Despite the first external examination, which is always carried out in the field, it is the autopsy (typically referred to as necropsy in case of animals) that tells us the cause of death, when this is even possible. Although skin wounds were already visible on first examination of the body, it is difficult to initially assess whether the injuries are pre- or post-mortem in such decomposed animals, so we never jump to conclusions before the post-mortem examination has been completed.

The animal was shot in the left lateral chest area. After entering the body, the projectile penetrated the left chest wall, punctured both lung wings and exited the body through the right chest wall. Of the vital organs, the lungs were damaged by the projectile and it is therefore most likely that the animal died as a result of respiratory distress. It is not yet known what firearm was used to shoot the animal, but several fragments of the projectile were found at the site of the gunshot wounds and have been stored for ballistic examination.

This is the first recorded case of a shot dolphin being found in Slovenia in modern times. Our colleagues in Croatia have had several such cases, but this is the first of its kind for us. Dolphins are a strictly protected species in Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe, so this case is a criminal offence. The case has also been reported to the Police.

The decomposition of the carcass suggests that the animal had been dead for at least several days at the time of its discovery, so it remains unknown where the animal was actually shot. Given that the Gulf of Trieste is shared by Slovenia, Italy and Croatia, the crime could have been committed outside Slovenia.

Dolphins and other large marine predators are an important part of marine ecosystems, helping to maintain the balance of marine food webs. Their conservation therefore has wider implications for the long-term conservation of healthy seas, which is also important for people.