More than 80,000 dolphins and other species have been killed in Putin's attacks on Ukraine.
May 22, 2024, published at 5:09 PM ET
Russian Navy sonar and explosions are believed to be responsible for killing tens of thousands of dolphins in Ukraine's Black Sea, while explosions over a nature park have had a devastating impact on hundreds of animals.
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Scientists believe Russian Navy sonar has contributed to more than 80,000 dolphin deaths.
Scientists believe that up to 80,000 dolphins have been killed in Ukraine's Black Sea since the war began in February 2022. Daily star.
National park rangers have also reported that a surprising number of dead dolphins are washing ashore. Meanwhile, Russian drones have caused similar destruction in a nature reserve.
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Park rangers say dolphin carcasses have washed up from the Black Sea in Ukraine.
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Russian drones have swarmed the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park – which is located near Russian bases in occupied Crimea – and are difficult for Ukrainian forces to locate and destroy due to their buzzing movement over swamps and the salt lake.
An estimated 265 species of eagles, beavers, pelicans, terrapins and flamingos live in the nature park.
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“The soldiers here told us that during the bombings they saw an incredible number of dolphins fleeing into the Danube. Then we started finding dead dolphins – 122 times as many as in previous years,” said Tuzly park ranger Iryna Vykhrystiuk.
Tuzly Park director Dr. Ivan Rusev estimated that 80,000 of the 300,000 dolphin populations in the Ukrainian Black Sea have been killed as a result of Russian Navy sonar and bombs.
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Locals accused Russian forces of killing protected wildlife for food.
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Sonar drastically affects dolphins' unique sonar, which they use to hunt prey. According to research by Polish and Ukrainian scientists, sonar can cause concussions in dolphins, which can lead to suffocation underwater.
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A separate scientific paper published in The Royal Society estimated that between 37,500 and 48,000 cetaceans were killed in the first three months of the war in Ukraine.
The bombing and subsequent destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 is also believed to have led to the deaths of thousands of marine animals when toxins released from the dam entered the Black Sea. Autopsies on the washed-up dolphins found traces of toxins in their systems.
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Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and oil refineries are also believed to have contaminated the environment.
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In addition, Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and oil refineries are also believed to be polluting the environment.
In addition to the consequences of Russian military attacks, locals have accused Putin's troops protected from killing wild animals for food and the use of nature reserves for artillery ranges.
