Dolphin group hails successful refloating

The first successful refloating of a dolphin in this country has been confirmed in north Kerry.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group said the alert was raised when a woman saw the 3.5 metre-long female bottlenose dolphin stranded on a sandy beach at Béal.

IWDG volunteer Joanne O’Brien said when she and colleagues arrived at the scene the dolphin’s skin was still moist, indicating it had only been recently stranded.

“The first thing we checked for were injuries and there were none,” said Ms O’Brien. “Sometimes dolphins strand because they are sick but she seemed very healthy.”

The dolphin was examined by Barry O’Donoghue of the National Parks and Wildlife Service before a farmer arrived with a tractor and low loader.

The dolphin, which was beginning to overheat, was lifted out of the sand by the low loader and slowly put back into the water, where she was stabilised by the rescue team.

“After a few minutes steadying herself she swam off,” said Ms O’Brien. “It was fantastic to get a stranded dolphin back into the water because it isn’t normally a success.”

The team took pictures of the dolphin’s dorsal fin.

Fins, like fingerprints, are unique. It has emerged the Kilrush-based Dolphin Discovery tour boat was able to positively identify the dolphin on several occasions since the stranding, swimming with a 140-strong pod in the Shannon Estuary.

Her presence in the group and her behaviour suggests that she is healthy and well, said Ms O’Brien.

“She has also been seen again near the beach where she stranded. We think she was stranded while chasing salmon. She vomited fresh salmon on the beach, which indicated she’d been feeding before getting stranded.”

IWDG co-ordinator Padraig Whooley said it was the first confirmed refloating of a dolphin in Irish waters.

“It’s quite rare to be able to successfully refloat dolphins,” he said. “Normally they are sick or injured and will strand again. You can’t refloat whales because they are too big. This is a really good news story.”

He said the loss of one dolphin, especially an adult female, could have a significant impact on the Shannon Estuary population. As such, it highlighted the importance of the prompt action on the shore at Béal.