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Wales Online
5 days ago
- General
- Wales Online
Rare visitor to Welsh waters found stranded on North Wales beach
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An unusual visitor to Welsh waters met a 'sad ending' when it became stranded on a beach in Gwynedd. Striped dolphins are common enough in the Mediterranean but they are rarely seen in the Irish Sea. So when one was reported on the sand at Pwllheli, medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were quick to respond. The stranded cetacean was reported on Friday, May 30. Striped dolphins are relatively small and colourful, getting their name from two signature grey stripes running down their sides. Although widely distributed in the world's temperate and tropical oceans, they prefer deeper offshore waters. In Britain they are seen occasionally off Scotland's northwest coast – visitors to Wales are typically vagrants separated from their schools. On arrival in Pwllheli, BDMLR medics administered first aid. They suspected the outcome might not be good and after carrying out a full examination their fears were confirmed. A spokesperson said: 'Striped dolphins that we see stranded in the UK almost always have serious health issues. Sadly, this particular dolphin was thin, with injuries to its tail, and taking everything into consideration, euthanasia was deemed the kindest option. 'We would like to thank our medics in Wales for their efforts and the members of the public who kindly carried out first aid until our medics arrived.' Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community (Image: BDMLR) A similar fate befell a Striped dolphin found stranded near Cardiff in 2018. This too was underweight and in poor condition. Striped dolphins are capable of amazing acrobatics, including back somersaults, tail-spins, and upside-down porpoising. One unique behaviour has been termed 'roto-tailing' – they make high arching leaps while rapidly rotating their tails. They are incredibly curious and playful. But this can be their undoing – it may be one of the reasons why they are targeted in Japanese fisheries, often driven ashore to be killed. In March a mass stranding of Striped dolphins at Durness, on the north coast of Scotland, had a slightly happier outcome. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday BDMLR medics found four were already dead. The surviving three were all juveniles – one was in such poor condition it had to be euthanised. However the other two were successfully returned to the sea, swimming off strongly. 'Both a sad and happy outcome for a species that has previously not done well when stranding in the UK,' said BDMLR at the time. Stranded dolphins, seals and whales can be reported to the BDMLR rescue hotline on 01825 765546. The charity relies on donations - you can contribute here. Find the weather forecast where you live
North Wales Live
5 days ago
- General
- North Wales Live
Rare visitor to Welsh waters found stranded on North Wales beach
An unusual visitor to Welsh waters met a 'sad ending' when it became stranded on a beach in Gwynedd. Striped dolphins are common enough in the Mediterranean but they are rarely seen in the Irish Sea. So when one was reported on the sand at Pwllheli, medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were quick to respond. The stranded cetacean was reported on Friday, May 30. Striped dolphins are relatively small and colourful, getting their name from two signature grey stripes running down their sides. Although widely distributed in the world's temperate and tropical oceans, they prefer deeper offshore waters. In Britain they are seen occasionally off Scotland's northwest coast – visitors to Wales are typically vagrants separated from their schools. On arrival in Pwllheli, BDMLR medics administered first aid. They suspected the outcome might not be good and after carrying out a full examination their fears were confirmed. A spokesperson said: 'Striped dolphins that we see stranded in the UK almost always have serious health issues. Sadly, this particular dolphin was thin, with injuries to its tail, and taking everything into consideration, euthanasia was deemed the kindest option. 'We would like to thank our medics in Wales for their efforts and the members of the public who kindly carried out first aid until our medics arrived.' A similar fate befell a Striped dolphin found stranded near Cardiff in 2018. This too was underweight and in poor condition. Striped dolphins are capable of amazing acrobatics, including back somersaults, tail-spins, and upside-down porpoising. One unique behaviour has been termed 'roto-tailing' – they make high arching leaps while rapidly rotating their tails. They are incredibly curious and playful. But this can be their undoing – it may be one of the reasons why they are targeted in Japanese fisheries, often driven ashore to be killed. In March a mass stranding of Striped dolphins at Durness, on the north coast of Scotland, had a slightly happier outcome. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday BDMLR medics found four were already dead. The surviving three were all juveniles – one was in such poor condition it had to be euthanised. However the other two were successfully returned to the sea, swimming off strongly. 'Both a sad and happy outcome for a species that has previously not done well when stranding in the UK,' said BDMLR at the time. Stranded dolphins, seals and whales can be reported to the BDMLR rescue hotline on 01825 765546. The charity relies on donations - you can contribute here.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Locals save porpoise on beach in Kilkeel
Helping save a stranded porpoise isn't one of the normal duties for a caravan park that's exactly what Kilkeel man John McKibbin did on Friday McKibbin, from Leestone Caravan Park in County Down, was "sitting in the house with my feet up" when he got the call from some residents "for a bit of help" about a young harbour porpoise that was stranded on a nearby beach. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said they understand people want to help, but "always recommend they call our 24/7 rescue hotline in order for us to dispatch specialist Marine Mammal Medics". 'Hitting into rocks' "I got a phone call to say the porpoise was on the beach, and there was a crowd in the caravan site getting together to see if they could do something for it," he are two beach areas near the caravan site, so Mr McKibbin had difficulty finding the porpoise at first."Our caravan site is on a corner of the coast and we went to the front beach but couldn't see it."Then we went to the back beach and saw Jason …trying to put it into the water."When he arrived, a resident, Jason Hughes "was in the water with it".Mr McKibbin said he saw Jason "push the porpoise into the sea". "It was hitting into rocks and it obviously didn't have a clear path to get free," he said."I arrived down and said to Jason we need to lift it and put it into deep water." 'A bit distressed' "Jason took his coat off and we put the coat underneath the porpoise, so we just used his coat as a sling to carry it and then we carried it across the beach about 50 ft and then we put it into the water and away it went."Once Mr McKibbin and Mr Hughes picked the porpoise up with the aid of a jacket, "it was pretty easy".He said they thought of using the jacket because "you don't want to put too much pressure on its organs when lifting it up, so thought that the coat would spread the weight over its body."We just put the coat underneath it, and it was flapping its tail about, you could see it was a bit distressed," he said."Whenever we put the porpoise into the water, you could see it swimming away, and it was just coming on the edge of dark, but you could see it swimming on out to sea." 'Happily ever after' Mr McKibbin said when the two men picked the porpoise up, "it actually was sort of relaxed"."It only just flapped its tail when we put it into the water."He swam away, and we watched him until he disappeared under the water completely."It wasn't injured; it swam away on out."Mr McKibbin said it felt "brilliant" to have rescued the young purpoise. "It definitely would have died, because it couldn't get out into the deep water."Rescuing a porpoise was a first for Mr McKibbin, who said: "It's usually people we save on the beach"."Hopefully, it'll go out and find the rest of its pod and live happily ever after." What should you do if you spot stranded sea life? British Divers Marine Life Rescue offer advice about what to do if you find a stranded whale, dolphin or a statement to BBC News NI, BDML said: "Proper health checks are necessary" to determine if a cetacean is "in poor condition or has an underlying problem" and the BDML "dispatch specialist Marine Mammal Medics to respond appropriately to the animal, acting on their best welfare interests".
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Chilling moment 12ft shark lurks feet off UK coast as kids play on shore in warm weather
Shocking footage captured the moment the 12-foot 'mini-Jaws' swam just feet away from the shore at Aberystwyth's North Beach on Friday evening - with stunned crowds gathering to watch as its fin emerged from the water Beachgoers basking in the UK's sizzling temperatures last week were left stunned after spotting a shark dangerously close to two different shorelines. Shocking video footage captured the moment the 12-foot "mini-Jaws" swam just feet away from the shore at Aberystwyth's North Beach in Wales on Friday evening, with crowds gathering to watch as its fin emerged from the water. The mammal, thought to be a Porbeagle shark, was reported to wildlife rescue teams and the coastguard over fears it was ill or injured. As it swam dangerously close to the beache's jetty, the animal was also feared to be at risk of beaching itself. As a result, the public were warned to stay away for their own safety and to prevent additional stress for the animal. Craig Roberts, who was in the area visiting his son at Aberystwyth University, saw the shark and said kids were jumping into the water moments before it emerged. He said: "We were on the pier and saw a bit of a commotion so went to have a look. Kids were jumping in the water just before it was spotted - they soon got out though." The second shark sighting came on Sunday, also in Wales - in Aberdyfi, Gwynedd. It is understood to be the same shark. Witnesses Simon Howes and Owen Davies managed to capture the creature on video. Davies said: "That's a first for me in Aberdyfi - a shark up by the Penhelig Arms Hotel." HM Coastguard Aberystwyth said they were contacted by the Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to assist the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity. The coastguard said: "The coastguard rescue team were tasked to provide safety cover for BDMLR and also to provide a bit of crowd control to ensure no members of the public put themselves in harms way, or inadvertently caused the shark further distress. "After low tide and no further sightings, 'mini jaws' had seemingly made it out of the bay and so the CRT were stood down." While the Porbeagle shark is native to the UK, it is usually found in deeper water, where it hunts a range of smaller fish, including mackerel, herring, octopus, and squid. The strong swimmers, belonging to the same family as the Great White and Mako sharks, are known for being able to travel huge distances. Porbeagle sharks are known for their torpedo-shaped bodies, black eyes, and short conical snout, as well as a distinctive white patch at the base of their dorsal fin. The species are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - meaning it is an offence to intentionally kill or catch them in UK waters.
Scottish Sun
06-05-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Watch moment 12ft-long SHARK lurks just a few feet off UK coast as kids play on shore
A SHARK has been sighted just a few feet from a UK shoreline at two different beaches in recent days. Footage shows the 12-foot "mini-Jaws" swimming dangerously close to the shore in Wales as children play nearby. 2 The shark was spotted on two separate occasions in Wales Credit: Dailypost 2 The porbeagle shark was at risk of beaching itself Spotted twice, the first sighting came on Friday evening at Aberystwyth's North Beach where the Porbeagle shark lurked close to the beach's wooden jetty. A crowd gathered to watch the shark which was subsequently reported to wildlife rescue teams and the coastguard over concerns it appeared to be ill or injured. There were also concerns that the shark was at risk of beaching itself. As a result, the public were warned to stay away for their own safety and to prevent additional stress for the animal. Craig Roberts, who was visiting his son at Aberystwyth University, spotted the shark while visiting the beach. He said: "We were on the pier and saw a bit of a commotion so went to have a look. "Kids were jumping in the water just before it was spotted - they soon got out though." The second spotting came on Sunday in Aberdyfi, Gwynedd in what is understood to be the same shark. Simon Howes and Owen Davies were among those who snapped photos and a video. On the sighting, Davies said: "That's a first for me in Aberdyfi - a shark up by the Penhelig Arms Hotel." Mysterious 'alien' shark normally only seen in ocean depths found prowling off coast of hols hotspot Gran Canaria by fisherman HM Coastguard Aberystwyth stated they had received a request from the Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to assist the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity. The coastguard said: "The coastguard rescue team were tasked to provide safety cover for BDMLR and also to provide a bit of crowd control to ensure no members of the public put themselves in harms way, or inadvertently caused the shark further distress. "After low tide and no further sightings, 'mini jaws' had seemingly made it out of the bay and so the CRT were stood down." The Porbeagle shark is native to the UK and belongs to the same family as the Great White and Mako sharks. Porbeagle sharks: fact sheet Here's what you need to know about this at-risk species. Porbeagles are sharks found in the Atlantic and South Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean. They are large and powerfully built, reaching up to 3.7 meters long and weighing up to 230kg. Members of the species have been known to live up to 30 or even 65 years. Females don't reproduce until they are about 13 years old, and then give birth to an average of four pups every one or two years. Offspring are birthed live after a gestation period lasting between eight and nine months. Because of their slow reproductive cycle, porbeagle populations cannot recover quickly from declining population numbers. In addition to overfishing in certain parts of the world, their populations have been decimated by habitat loss and degradation. Another factor is bycatch, defined by NOAA Fisheries as 'discarded catch of marine species and unobserved mortality due to a direct encounter with fishing vessels and gear.' Northwest Atlantic porbeagles are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean populations are critically endangered. They are characterised by their torpedo-shaped bodies, black eyes, and short conical snout. One tell-tale feature is the distinctive white patch at the base of their dorsal fin, setting them apart from similar species. Historically, the Porbeagle shark has been targeted for their meat, fins, and sport and were once a common trophy in offshore game fishing. These practices have largely stopped today but the populations have yet to fully recover. They are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally kill or catch them in British waters. Very few attacks have been attributed to the species despite being physically capable of attacking humans.
