Gandolf the giant dolphin suffers horrible, agonising death on Anglesey coast
Investigations into a giant dolphin found washed up on Anglesey have revealed he met an uncomfortable end. A dog walker came across the animal at Porth Tyn Tywyn, a beach near Rhosneigr, last week.
Distinctive markings on his dorsal fin identified him as a member of the Cardigan Bay population of bottlenose dolphins. He was known to the Sea Watch Foundation as 'Gandalf' – though the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre called him 'Dewin'.
Having been checked and screened by the Rhosneigr Coastguard Rescue Team, Gandolf was subsequently assessed by Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM), the Welsh arm of the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme. This was to discover that the dolphin was not attacked or emaciated but died in mysterious circumstances.
Although dolphins are common enough in in Cardigan Bay, MEM rarely gets to investigate their deaths as, due to their size and weight, they typically sink when they die.
MEM discover Gandolf had been dead just around 24-48 hours. An old adult male, he measured 3.29m in length. Sharing its initial findings online, the organisation said: 'Although not the longest bottlenose dolphin we had investigated, it was one of the heaviest. It weighed 510kg, which when you compare it with others we have investigated, which normally weigh between 350 and 450kg, gives you an indication that he was a big male.'
Initial inspections showed his teeth were worn down, which is common for older dolphins. He also had scars on his body from interactions with other bottlenose dolphins. Otherwise, he had no obvious injuries that might have caused his death. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
With help from the Sea Watch Foundation, Gandolf was transported to Liverpool University for a post mortem. This revealed he had been a healthy bottlenose dolphin. He had a good blubber layer, indicating he had been feeding well, but there was no sign he'd eaten recently. He had some signs of parasites throughout his body but this is normal for older dolphins.
But MEM said: 'When we investigated the intestines, we found two hard blockages near the anus end. These blockages had caused the intestines to split between the blockages, which is the most likely cause of death in this dolphin. We currently aren't sure what the blockages are, so they have been sent off for further investigation – they looked to be a claylike substance.'
The team at Liverpool University team has sampled the dolphin's organs and the blockages. These will now be sent to partner agencies throughout the UK and Europe for further testing. As well as looking for underlying diseases, these will also test for pollutants and other factors.
The dog walker who was among those to discover the dolphin was left emotional to find he had a name. On social media, other person noted sadly: 'Not a nice way to go. Let's hope his death helps others to survive once the blockage is figured out.'
MEM investigates stranded dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, marine turtles and sharks to learn about the challenges facing the UK's marine life are facing. Stranded marine animals can be reported to the organisation on 0800 652 0333.
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