Photo credit: BBC News
A tanker carrying 75,000 gallons of oil collided with another boat in a rare dolphin sanctuary in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh.
Now, navy vessels are scrambling to the scene to deal with the resulting oil spill that’s threatening the Irrawaddy dolphin species (see below).
Photo credit: WorldWildlife.org
Those navy boats are equipped with chemicals that can separate oil from water, but the Bangladesh navy has little experience with this kind of problem. The oil has spread in a 25 mile section of the Sela River.
Photo credit: BBC News
The government has stepped in and said the owner of each boat will face legal consequences. Unfortunately, fines or jail time cannot undone the damage the oil has already caused on this environment.
Photo credit: BBC News
The tanker was set to deliver the oil to a power plant when the crash occurred, and it’s still unclear how much oil spilled out of the tanker.
The southern Sunderbans was declared a dolphin sanctuary in 2011. Research says 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins lived in the area at the time.
At this point, its too soon to say how many ways the oil spill will affect the Irrawaddy dolphin species. We can only hope the rare dolphin species is resilient and the oil is cleaned up quickly to help preserve the species and the sanctuary.