Dolphin volunteers are on high-alert with March being a notorious month in Mandurah for low tides and strandings that often occur as a result.
Breeding female Zetta died in late January from stranding and two-year-old calf Stardust is believed to be dead. There is also concern for Stardust's elder sister Ziggy who is missing.
Low March tides over the past few years sparks fear that the worst is yet to come.
Last year Ziggy was sunburnt on his side and back after several hours of stranding. The year prior, Blake spent a day caught out by low tide and sandbars forming at Samphire Cove and then a week later Kidbilly was lucky to be seen and rescued after stranding on the sandbar upstream at Stakehill.
A few days after Kidbilly's incident, a freeze-branded male dolphin, 14, was caught in the shallows by low tide at Samphire Cove.
In March of 2018, a dolphin named Matata was stranded, unnoticed, until it was too late.
"Mandurah is a dolphin stranding hotspot which is an obvious animal welfare issue," an Estuary Guardians Mandurah spokeswoman said.
Plea falls on deaf ears
Dolphin volunteer groups have been lobbying for two years for a wildlife officer to be permanently based in Mandurah but the plea has thus far gone unheeded by the state government's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
Opposition leader Zak Kirkup said last month that the Liberal party would guarantee "at least one dedicated officer to be stationed in Mandurah either permanently or on rostered rotation" if elected. But the Labor party has failed to come on board thus far.
Carcass find prompts shark warning
Meanwhile, beachgoers were warned to stay on the lookout for sharks after a dolphin carcass was found at White Hills Beach in Mandurah on Saturday.
The carcass was reported by a member of the public. DBCA and Fisheries officers removed the carcass and are investigating.
Several Dawesville Cut coastal dolphins have recently fallen victim to shark attacks.
Breeding female Joy was attacked by a shark a few weeks ago, making it her third shark-related injury since 2016.
She is expected to make a full recovery, but other dolphins haven't been so lucky.
Free training event
In other dolphin news, a Dolphin Watch training event is being put on by DBCA River Guardians on Monday, March 29 from 6-8pm.
A new Dolphin Watch app will be launched and everyone who attends the training event will receive a free copy of the latest 2020 Finbook of our dolphins, and hear about the monitoring cameras recently installed in the upper-Serpentine. Tickets are free but booking is essential.
Keeping waterways clean
It's not too late to join a Clean Up the Peel event to help protect wildlife both in the waterways and on land.
Sunday 14th: Join Mandurah Cruises to clean up Creery Wetlands by boat (numbers limited, RSVP essential), or Sharon Meredith Photography on the Dawesville Foreshore.
Saturday 20th: Join Frasers Landing residents and friends for a Serpentine Riverbank clean up in Coodanup.
Sunday 21st March: Join Coastal Waste Warriors as they take their monthly community clean up to Mandurah's Western Foreshore, or Peel Preservation Group Inc. at Clean Up the Peel: Len Howard Conservation Park in Erskine.
Check out the Peel Harvey Catchment Council website for more events https://peel-harvey.org.au/events/#phcc-events-tabs|2