Authorities are seeking information after a member of the public photographed a dolphin dressed in a singlet swimming through Bunbury's Koombana Bay on Australia Day.
Bunbury's Dolphin Discovery Centre received the initial report during the morning and passed it on to DPaW. The animal has not been seen since.
While there is a chance it swam into the singlet, this would appear extremely unlikely.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife says the result could be death for the dolphin if the singlet covered its blowhole and restricted its breathing.
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To place an obstruction such as this on a dolphin constituted 'taking fauna', an offence under the Wildlife Conservation Act attracting a maximum penalty of $4000, a spokeswoman confirmed.
If anyone has information about the incident, or has seen the dolphin and can report its location, contact DPaW Bunbury on 9725 4300, or the Wildcare Helpline on 9474 9055 after hours.
