Speculation Moko alive after dolphin sighting in harbour | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

Could Moko the dolphin still be alive?

DNA testing of a dolphin's body found on Matakana Island last week was expected to clear up the issue by the end of the week but until then one local fisherman is providing hope that Moko is still swimming in Bay water.

Glenn Mason came across a single dolphin near the Tauranga Harbour entrance about 4pm on Sunday. He was returning from a fishing trip when he saw the dolphin leaping up into the air.

"The dolphin was playing between two boats and he looked friendly as," Mr Mason said.

Amy Taylor had been making a documentary about Moko for the last seven months and visited Matakana Island last week to view the dolphin carcass.

She said the "sighting" over the weekend gave people false hope.

"This is messing with people's heads," she said.

"It's nice that people believe that he's still around but these are only assumptions that he's definitely not dead."

The Department of Conservation (DOC) would not investigate the possibility of Moko being alive.

Katrina Knill from DOC's Tauranga Area Office said it was unlikely that Moko was still alive.

"Dolphins in Tauranga Harbour are not unusual."

Ms Knill said at any one time, thousands of dolphins potentially came in and out of Tauranga Harbour and this was "probably just another dolphin".

Ms Knill said tissue samples from the carcass were being compared against DNA from Moko.

She said these samples were currently being processed at Auckland University.

The cause of death would not be known until midweek, however Ms Knill said "no obvious cause of death" was evident at this stage.

Plans regarding the future of Moko's remains have yet to be finalised. Meanwhile, a marine mammal protection group has expressed sadness at "flippant" responses to Moko's death.

Kimberley Muncaster, a spokesperson from Project Jonah, a charity for the protection of marine mammals, said some people's grief had been exacerbated by people mocking and questioning their sense of loss.