TERRA.WIRE
50 dead dolphins wash ashore on Mauritania's beaches
DAKAR (AFP) Jun 11, 2004
 Forty-nine dolphins have been found dead on beaches in Mauritania, the deputy head of the northwest African country's oceanography and fishing institute, Mika Diop, told AFP here Friday.

The dolphins' carcasses were found early this week on beaches in southern Mauritania, near the border with Senegal.

A team from the oceanography institute had seen four dead dolphins on the beach on Mboyo island, seven kilometers (4 miles) from the Senegalese border on Monday, and the following day found the carcasses of 45 more dolphins nearby, said Diop.

Rumours of the mammals' deaths had been circulating in the Senegalese capital Dakar among environmental activists, who said they believed the dolphins had died after underwater explosions were carried out to look for oil.

The precise reason for the dolphins' deaths is still not known, said Diop.

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