Orca Death, a Taste of What's to Come? Last week, in the small
town of La Pedrera, Uruguay a dead orca washed onto the beach.
It is not common for Orcas to be found washed up on beaches; so
local conservationists examined the case. It turns out this is
the third orca to wash ashore in this area recently and it
appears there is a pattern. Similar to Peru, were hundreds of
dolphins recently washed ashore, Uruguay is also preparing for
oil extraction. The building of a deep-sea port is planned for
this area. The area, however, is an international biosphere
reserve & UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes fragile
national parks and RAMSAR sites. It is also located right in the
migratory path of the Southern Right Whale. Upon examination of
the orca, whale biologist Rodrigo Garcia Pingaro, Director of
local NGO, Conservation of Cetaceans (OCC), discovered blood
coming from the dolphin’s eyes and blowhole. It is more than
likely that seismic testing by the oil industry fatally wounded
the orca. After being examine