Dolphin, whale deaths due to lunar tides: report

The number of dead dolphins and whales washing ashore Mumbai's beaches recently has been worrying. Now, a study by Myvets Charitable Trust & Research Centre has attempted to find out the reason behind the phenomenon.

Their year-long research has reportedly revealed that the new moon and full moon phase and receding tides in the region causes disorientation leading to the deaths of the mammals, a report by a leading daily said. 

Three dead dolphins have washed ashore in March this year so far.

"Gravitational changes due to the lunar effect alter their migration patterns and disorient them," Madhurita Gupta, wildlife conservationist and president of Myvets told the daily. This leads to some of them losing track of the rest of the pod and straying into shallow waters and which causes their death after struggling in the receding tide.

However, Kumaran Sathasivam, who runs a database of marine mammal strandings told the daily that this has been happening for decades, but has been getting attention only now due to social media.

Other reasons causing the deaths include oil spills, garbage dumped in the ocean and an outbreak of morbillivirus, among other things.