The corpse lies on the stainless steel table. Next to it, a tray of sharp blades, pliers and what look like garden implements. The body – dark-skinned above, but pale underneath – was found on the beach at Barmston, Yorkshire, in March, with its dorsal fin mysteriously missing. It’s a harbour porpoise – and I’m here for its autopsy.
For about 15 years, I have volunteered for Devon Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network, taking photos of dozens of marine mammals, from decomposing dolphins to scarred porpoises. Each one is a crime scene – teeth marks suggest a bottlenose dolphin attack; a missing tail fluke may be due to stray fishing gear; gashes could be caused by a boat propeller.
