Blood, guts and suspiciously mangled fins: inside a porpoise autopsy – Guardian

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.

When the alert comes, I don my wellies and old waterproofs, then drive to the beach. A box in my car contains everything I need – from clipboard and tape measure to gloves and tags. Even a couple of huge black body bags, just in case. I have to get to the body before the next high tide washes it away.