New Quay: Dolphin separated from mum rescued by tourist boat
A video shared on the company's Facebook page showed the calf swimming in the shallow waters at 11:30 GMT on Saturday morning.They said in the post the calf was swimming around in very shallow water and seemed "lethargic".A second video showed volunteers jumping into the water fully clothed in an attempt to get the dolphin to swim out to deeper waters.They then wrapped the dolphin in a blanket and got it onto one of the company's boats. Josh Pedley from New Quay said former colleagues at SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips, another tourist boat firm, told him about the dolphins in Cardigan Bay.He said he watched the dolphins for about an hour from the beach before the mother seemingly abandoned the calf. "This coincided with a kayaker approaching the animals, perhaps coincidence, but after this, the mother was not seen again," he said."The tide was still due to be going out for about another two hours and the lone calf started showing some signs of distress. "It was spending most of its time 'logging' on the surface of the water and swimming round in circles," he said.Mr Pedley phoned BDMLR to notify them of a possible beached dolphin in the coming hours."They asked me to keep tabs on it and they would get back to me," he said.
"As the tide receded, the waves increased and the calf was getting pushed ever shallower.""I could see it was only going to be a matter of minutes away from getting beached, so I phoned BDMLR again and sought their advice on what best to do," Mr Pedley said.He stressed the importance of seeking advice, adding sometimes "well-meaning help can actually cause more harm than good".Mr Pedley then waded into waist-deep water to use himself as a barrier to stop the calf being pushed in too shallow. After the BDMLR team arrived they tried to shepherd the calf out into deeper water, but it kept being pushed back in by the waves."A plan was hatched to gain access to a boat crewed by Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips staff and to hoist the dolphin into the boat and drive it further out to sea," Mr Pedley said.The dolphin was then re-released into the sea in deeper waters after being checked over by marine medics.The company said the calf had not been spotted since, and hopes "no news is good news".After the rescue, Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips said on social media: "An amazing result today."Thanks to our dedicated crew and the help and knowledge of the BDMLR trained volunteers and with help from a few passionate helpers a common dolphin calf was rescued from stranding today on the beach at Traeth Gwyn across the water from New Quay main beach."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Exact location killer dolphin was last spotted off UK coast after slaying shark
Freak attacks on animals have sparked alarm in Wales as notorious dolphin 'Anakin' earns a chilling new nickname thanks to his latest fight with a shark in front of shocked onlookers A killer dolphin is terrorising the waters off the coast of Cardigan Bay, in a phenomenon that has stunned marine experts and wildlife watchers. The mammal, eerily nicknamed "Jack the Flipper", was filmed maiming a young dolphin before it launched a shark out of the sea in a violent killing spree. The bottlenose dolphin, whose real name is Anakin (inspired by the troubled " Star Wars" character), was last seen off the coast of New Quay, Ceredigion - a popular wildlife hotspot in Wales known for its usually peaceful dolphin population. But Anakin's behaviour is anything but peaceful. In a pair of shocking attacks, first reported by Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips, the dolphin was observed brutally killing a juvenile common dolphin in March, before turning on a smooth-hound shark just last week - flinging it out of the water in front of stunned passengers. Marine spotter Sarah Michelle Wyer, who has monitored dolphin behaviour in the bay for eight years, captured the chilling moment and said she'd never seen anything like it. 'I've not seen a dolphin throw a shark out in all my years watching them,' she told The Sun. 'One of the skippers has seen them throw topes, which is another small member of the shark family, but not smooth-hounds. 'But when Anakin killed the young common dolphin, it was the first recorded instance of this behaviour in Cardigan Bay. It is unknown why this dolphin chose to do it as it would have been of no threat.' While dolphins are widely seen as friendly, intelligent creatures, bottlenose dolphins can also display aggressive, even sadistic behaviours, especially toward smaller animals and rivals. 'They are not 'friendly flipper'. This particular dolphin seems to have a very unusual personality,' Sarah added. 'Despite the name, common dolphins aren't common around here. And we now think this could be because of the bottlenose dolphins.' The smooth-hound shark killed last week can grow up to 4ft in length, but would have been no match for a full-grown bottlenose dolphin, which can reach lengths of up to 12ft. Initially believed to be a salmon, the shark was carried past a boat of onlookers before being launched violently into the air. A spokesperson for Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips said: 'We were very surprised when one of our local dolphins, Anakin, brought what we originally thought was a large salmon past the boat and then threw the fish out of the water. 'To our surprise, it was not a salmon but a member of the shark family called a smooth-hound. 'We aren't sure if there are many records of smooth-hounds being part of a bottlenose dolphin's diet. Bottlenose dolphins are opportunistic feeders and have a varied diet of fish, squid and crustaceans. 'Anakin's dolphinality is a very unusual one, to say the least.' Where is 'Jack the Flipper' now? Anakin was last spotted near New Quay, one of Cardigan Bay's main centres for dolphin watching. The waters between Aberaeron and Aberdovey are now being monitored more closely by local tour operators and researchers in case of further aggressive incidents. While marine experts are not yet calling for intervention, concerns are growing about Anakin's impact on local wildlife, especially smaller dolphin species that may be avoiding the area. Although bottlenose dolphins do not typically pose a threat to humans, their unpredictable nature - especially when displaying rogue or violent behaviours - means boaters and wildlife watchers are being urged to respect safe distances. Marine biologists say Anakin's actions, while extreme, are not unprecedented globally - there have been cases of male dolphins targeting calves, rival pods, and even porpoises. But two lethal attacks, on different species, within three months in the same bay is exceptionally rare.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
One dead, more missing after migrant shipwreck off Italy's Lampedusa
ROME, June 30 (Reuters) - One woman died, two people were feared missing and 87 were rescued following a migrant shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, a U.N. migration agency official said on Monday. Lampedusa lies between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island of Sicily and is the first port of call for many migrants seeking to reach the EU from North Africa, in what has become one of the world's deadliest sea crossings. The migrants, initially rescued by a Tunisian fishing boat and then picked up by the Italian coastguard, arrived in Lampedusa at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo said. They had set off from Tunisia on a flimsy metal boat that disintegrated during navigation, he said, describing such vessels as "floating coffins". "We are trying to see if, apart from the body that was recovered, one or two people are missing. Probably there are two," he added. Another group of around 80 sea migrants, including children and two or three pregnant women, also landed in Lampedusa overnight after a "dramatic" crossing in very rough weather, Di Giacomo said. "They were lucky to make it, given the sea conditions they faced", he said, indicating that the group had left Libya on Friday on a rubber dinghy. More than 25,000 migrants have died or gone missing on the central Mediterranean route between North Africa and Italy since 2014, according to the IOM, including 1,810 last year and 542 in the year to date.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- BBC News
Seal pups released into sea after treatment in Nantwich
Five orphaned seal pups who were found severely underweight and sick have been returned to the sea after grey seals were admitted to the RSPCA's Stapeley Grange wildlife centre in Nantwich, Cheshire, in March and April after they were rescued by the British Divers Marine Life their stay, staff named the five pups after characters from TV show The Muppets – Yolanda, Floyd Pepper, Fozzie, Bert and they had gained weight and were deemed to be well enough, they were released back into the wild off England's east coast this week. Lee Stewart, manager of the wildlife centre, said the pups had to be tube-fed by hand in the first days of their treatment by the site's "wonderful, dedicated team"."Raising and rehabilitating seals is no easy task - it takes time, effort, and significant resources but every moment and every pound spent is worth it," he said. Once tagged and released into the wild, Stapeley Grange staff monitor seal pups who have been rehabilitated at the RSPCA said caring for the animals required specialist facilities, with Stapeley Grange among a handful to have the correct equipment and growing seal population has caused higher numbers of underweight or sick pups, the organisation added, but people should be wary about approaching them as it was not unusual for them to be alone and they can have a "nasty bite". Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
