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Published on August 4, 2007

A young spinner dolphin is recovering well at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, which took it after it was found beached on Karon Beach more than a month ago.

"Its condition is much better than when we first found it," centre director Dr Wannakiat Thubthimsang said yesterday.

The dolphin suffered from a lung infection, exhaustion and balance difficulty.

Wannakiat said beached dolphins and whales often did not survive because they normally suffered serious illness before becoming grounded. "So, I am really glad this dolphin's health has improved well," he said.

He believed the dolphin would survive and if so, this would be the first of its species to be saved by the centre.

However, it still required around-the-clock care and treatment with antibiotics. It is being kept in a support frame.

It will require one or two more months of care out of the support frame before its chances of being returned to sea will be known, according to Wannakiat.

"By then, if it can swim and catch fish by itself, we will release it," he added.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources and Environment Ministry inspector-general Wirat Khao-uppatham said two helicopters would soon be deployed to survey coastal areas in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

"We will look into coastal erosion, forest encroachment and other issues," he said. He said the information would be used to draw up conservation plans.

Helicopters will conduct surveys between August 6 and August 13.

Available records show erosion affects about 21.3 per cent of coastline in the gulf and the Andaman.