Length 50cm... Found Panting
Returned to Sea After Skin Dryness Prevention Measures
A calf of the native endangered dolphin species, the narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Sanggwaengi), was stranded on the coast of Seosan, Chungnam, and rescued by the coast guard. After receiving emergency treatment to prevent skin drying, the Sanggwaengi was released back into the sea.
On the 13th, the Taean Coast Guard reported that they received a call at 1:55 p.m. the previous day about a whale gasping for breath in a pool on the beach of Yeongtap-ri, Daesan-eup, Seosan City. The patrol team from Hakampo Police Station, who arrived at the scene, confirmed that the whale was a 50 cm long Sanggwaengi calf and contacted the Ulsan Whale Research Institute while spraying water and applying skin drying prevention measures using towels.
The image of a baby finless porpoise stranded in a puddle on the beach in Seosan, Chungnam on the 12th [Photo by Taean Coast Guard, Yonhap News]
The Ulsan Whale Research Institute requested on-site release, citing the absence of any whale centers within two hours' reach. The coast guard transported the calf Sanggwaengi to Beolmal Port using a patrol car and then released it. A Taean Coast Guard official stated, "Garorim Bay is home to the natural monument spotted seals and the marine protected species Sanggwaengi," adding, "We will continue to do our best to ensure marine safety and prevent pollution."
Previously, a Sanggwaengi was rescued from a mudflat in nearby Taean, Chungnam, but died about an hour later. On February 24th at 8:40 a.m., the Taean Police Station received a report from a local resident that a Sanggwaengi was trapped in a mudflat and unable to return to the sea. Police dispatched to a mudflat in Yongsin-ri, Geunheung-myeon, Taean-gun, Chungnam, found a roughly 1.7 m long Sanggwaengi with drying skin. After providing emergency care such as spraying seawater and wrapping it in cloth, the police quickly moved the Sanggwaengi to a communal artificial tank of a nearby fishing village, but it died about an hour later. Investigation revealed that the Sanggwaengi was elderly, and no signs of illegal capture or bycatch were found on the carcass. Subsequently, the Taean Coast Guard handed over the carcass to the Taean County Office following proper procedures.
Taean Coast Guard is applying skin drying treatment to a finless porpoise stranded in a tidal pool. [Photo by Taean Coast Guard, Yonhap News]
Additionally, on the 5th, a Sanggwaengi carcass was found on the coast of Jeju. The carcass was discovered on the coast of Jongdal-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, by a resident conducting coastal cleanup activities who reported it. The coast guard confirmed that the Sanggwaengi was about 165 cm in length and approximately 100 cm in girth, with decomposition so severe that determining its sex was difficult. However, no signs of illegal capture were found.
Called the "smiling dolphin" because its facial shape resembles a human smile, the Sanggwaengi mainly inhabits the southern and western coasts of Korea. Due to a decline in population, the Sanggwaengi is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is designated as a protected marine organism in Korea, with penalties for capture or hunting.
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