14 DAY TRIAL // A few days back, green-oriented organization Sea Shepherd took a stand against plans to engage in seismic testing off the Californian Coast.
These environmentalists now warn that it is quite likely that similar activities carried out in the waters near Uruguay are responsible for the fact that a dead orca washed ashore in the town of La Pedrera.
The official website for this organization explains that, although other species of dolphins and whales wash ashore on a regular basis, cases of beached orcas have been relatively few and far in between in the past.
Therefore, the fact that this particular specimen was the third orca to wash ashore in Uruguay within a rather limited time frame must raise several concerns, at least from a conservationist standpoint.
Hoping to shed some light on these incidents, whale biologist Rodrigo Garcia Pingaro investigated the body of this marine mammal and found that blood was coming out of its eyes and blowhole.
Based on this evidence, it is now argued that the orca was fatally wounded by seismic testing carried out near Uruguay's coastline.
Apparently, this theory is supported by the news that the country has plans to go in the business of drilling for oil, and that a deep-sea port will soon be built in this region in order to provide the necessary working conditions for the development of this industry.
For the time being, a local NGO known as Conservation of Cetaceans intends to ask the country's government to push for establishing marine wildlife sanctuaries in Uruguayan waters, their goal being to protect the marine mammals that come to breed and feed in these waters.
It is expected that the Sea Shepherd organization will also soon become actively involved in protecting Uruguay's marine wildlife, especially given the fact that this organization is known for not even remotely approving of the oil industry and its impact on the environment.