“Tragedy” may be an understatement when it comes to the infamous story of the dead dolphins washed up on the beaches of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine. During a two-week period in late December 2020 and early January of 2021, an alarming reported 248 dead dolphins have been reported washed up in the area. Although the exact cause is unknown, this ecocide is rooted in a long history of violence in the region, which was amplified following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
The first accounts of dead dolphins began surfacing around December 18. As the weeks progressed, reports of more and more dolphin carcasses continued to pile up. Witnesses broke the news by sharing videos and photos of the unnamed mammals that littered the shoreline, generating international attention and raising alarm amongst locals.
The Ukrainian Ombudsman for Children’s Rights and Environment announced via Facebook that the dolphin deaths were caused by “state-caused ecocide” and blamed the annexation of Crimea. This assertion was further supported by the fact that dolphins are both sensitive to and often unintentionally ensnared in military machinery and violence.
Since 2014, Crimea has suffered from a military-led environmental crisis, in addition to a long list of human rights violations and widespread poverty. Of particular danger to dolphins are the seismic testing that is used as part of Russian oil exploration, which can cause mass displacement of aquatic life and disturb essential habitat. Other hypotheses for the dolphins’ deaths include the lack of safe migration routes due to the growing military presence, distraction caused by the near-constant noise of military hardware, and the accumulation of toxins like metals in the waters of the Sea of Azov.
In response to the dolphin deaths, locals and animal advocates have taken to social media to demand more definitive evidence and accountability from the Russian and Crimean governments. However, there is still no clear answer as to the exact cause of death.
The tragic deaths of the dolphins of Crimea serve as both a stark reminder of the true costs of war and a reminder of the shared responsibility of protecting the world’s ocean life. While the exact cause of death of the dolphins may remain unknown, let us hope that new attention to the issue will lead to tangible action in the near future.