A single bottlenose dolphin had become stuck in the mud at The Causeway, Freshwater (UK). By the time the official rescue teams of the local Coastguard and the British Marine Life Rescue had arrived, two members of the public, who had tried to assist the dolphin, had become stuck in the mud alongside it. All three were brought to the shore by mud rescue technicians, where the bottlenose could then be assessed safely by the rescue team and would not drown itself by constantly turning over in the muddy water.
Unfortunately, the juvenile’s condition was found to be “extremely poor with a very high respiratory rate and effort.” Since there were also no other dolphins in the area, “the assessment concluded that it was not a good candidate for release.” Consultation with experts from all over the country led to the decision to put the animal to sleep. After a vet had conducted the euthanization, the animal was taken to the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Program for a necropsy to get insight into the causation of the incident.
BDMLR strongly encourages the public to not enter the water with a dolphin or whale in distress as the situation itself, as well as possible disease transmitted by the dolphin, can be extremely dangerous for both parties. Instead, the local coastguard or stranding rescue team should be notified immediately.
The full report can be found here: https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/18608367.stricken-dolphin-put-sleep----freshwater-rescue-operation-ends-sadness/
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