Ocean Sentry
The carcass of what is believed to be a mutilated dolphin or porpoise has been found dumped in a Norwich housing estate – in what has been described as the “most distressing” case of fly-tipping ever dealt with by City Hall officials.
The tail end of the marine mammal was discovered dumped in a garden in Heartsease and Norwich City Council bosses say they are baffled by the grisly find.
Mystery surrounds how the creature came to be in Norwich and where the rest of the animal is, with the head and dorsal fin having been hacked off.
The two foot long remains of the creature were found by a member of the public underneath a cherry tree in the communal garden of a block of flats on the junction of Munnings Road and Woodforde Road.
City council environmental health officer Mark Starkings, who was called to the site just after 10am on Thursday morning, said: “It was unbelievable when we got the call. I don’t know how long it was there for but it was full of flies.
It is unclear exactly how the animal ended up in Norwich – some 20 miles from the coast.
“It’s more likely to be a harbour porpoise, they are fairly common on the coast front here, but still a protected species and one where the population is reducing.”
(From eveningnews24.co.uk, by Rob Garrat)
