Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DARESSALAAM712
2006-05-02 16:09:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Cable title:  

DEAD DOLPHINS ON ZANZIBAR: US NAVY IMPLICATED IN

Tags:  SENV PREL EWTR MOPS TZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #0712 1221609
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021609Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3852
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000712 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

OES/OA FOR JFIELD, OES/OMC FOR DWARNER-KRAMER, OES/PCI FOR
ESHAW, AF/E FOR BYODER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL EWTR MOPS TZ
SUBJECT: DEAD DOLPHINS ON ZANZIBAR: US NAVY IMPLICATED IN
PRESS

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000712

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

OES/OA FOR JFIELD, OES/OMC FOR DWARNER-KRAMER, OES/PCI FOR
ESHAW, AF/E FOR BYODER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL EWTR MOPS TZ
SUBJECT: DEAD DOLPHINS ON ZANZIBAR: US NAVY IMPLICATED IN
PRESS


1. (U) SUMMARY: More than four hundred dead dolphins have
washed ashore on Zanzibar since April 27. Although the cause
of death is not yet known, various theories have been put
forward, including sonar from the US Navy. Post requests
guidance in responding to the implication of US Navy sonar in
the death of these animals, regarding both USG activities in
the area and the effects of sonar on marine mammals. END
SUMMARY.

Implicating the USG
--------------

2. (U) A May 1 article in the Guardian newspaper states
"(t)here is a US Navy taskforce that operates off the coast
of East Africa as part of counterterrorism operations, but
the Americans have refused comment on the dolphin deaths."
The article's front-page headline reads "Sonar use 'possible
cause' of deaths of dolphins," and the article states that
"some marine biologists are pointing to the use of sonar by
the US Navy as a factor in the deaths." The article also
states that "(i)n 2000, the Americans acknowledged that sonar
likely contributed to the stranding of whales in the
Bahamas." An April 29 report on CNN.com states that marine
biologists were examining whether U.S. Navy sonar threw the
animals off course.

Cause of Death
--------------

3. (U) The animals washing ashore are bottlenose dolphins,
normally found in deeper water and not common to the area
where they were found dead. Press reports state they are all
adults, may not have eaten for some time and that many were
bleeding in the eyes. In an April 29 Guardian newspaper
article, Nariman Jidawi, a researcher at the Zanzibar-based
Institute of Marine Science at the University of Dar es
Salaam, cited several possible causes of death: oil
pollution; eating red seaweed; or being left behind when the
tide recedes. The May 1 reports added sonar and toxins from
red tide as possible causes, noting "some scientists have
suggested that loud bursts of sonar may disorientate or
frighten ocean animals and cause them to rise to the surface
too quickly," resulting in nitrogen bubbles in tissue, the
equivalent of the bends. Biologists from the University of
Dar es Salaam performed autopsies on some of the dolphins,
but results are not yet public.

Location
--------------

4. (U) An April 29 article in the Guardian newspaper
reported "the dead dolphins were scattered over a five
kilometre stretch between Kendwa and Mkokotoni, north of
Zanzibar" while the May 1 report cites a three-kilometer
stretch. The beach is frequented by tourists and the
opportunity to swim with the dolphins is a tourist draw for
the islands. Local villagers have butchered many of the
carcasses and officials advised them to bury the remains in
order to control the smell.

Comment
--------------

5. (U) COMMENT: Newspapers on Zanzibar and mainland
Tanzania are following the investigation into the mysterious
deaths of hundreds of dolphins off the coast of Zanzibar.
Post anticipates it is only a matter of time before official
comment is requested. Further, increased promotion of
USG-GOT engagement regarding coastal security and marine
natural resources management may be at risk. END COMMENT.
RETZER