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Wales Online
22-04-2025
- Science
- Wales Online
Gandolf the giant dolphin suffers horrible, agonising death on Anglesey coast
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 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. (Image: MEM) 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. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Find out what's happening near you
Wales Online
22-04-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Boat trippers witness 'extremely rare' moment pod of dolphins kill baby calf off Welsh coast
Boat trippers witness 'extremely rare' moment pod of dolphins kill baby calf off Welsh coast The sighting was described by an eyewitness as remarkable as it was heartbreaking Baby dolphin killed by bottlenose dolphins off coast of Wales A fascinating video has captured the moment four bottlenose dolphins hunted down and killed a common dolphin calf off the coast of Wales. Dylan Coundley-Hughes, an intern working with the Sea Watch Foundation, captured the moment during a boat trip with a group of passengers on a wildlife watching trip off the coast of New Quay, Cardigan Bay. The rare occurrence saw the four dolphins throw the calf into the air followed by intense splashing. According to the Sea Watch Foundation it is extremely rare to witness bottlenose dolphins attacking common dolphin calves, and much more common to see them preying on porpoises. Dylan explained of his footage: 'While conducting a boat survey on behalf of the Sea Watch Foundation aboard a dolphin spotting wildlife tour we observed intense splashing and dolphin activity. "At first, we saw something flung into the air and suspected a porpoise, but to our disbelief, it was a common dolphin calf, making this encounter an interspecific infanticide. 'I was filming for a personal documentary at the time and couldn't believe I had captured such a rare behaviour between different dolphin species. It was both remarkable and heartbreaking to witness.' Article continues below Sarah Michelle Wyer, who works for the dolphin spotting boat trips off the coast of west Wales as a guide and a photographer, said: 'It was an incredibly rare encounter where a pod of bottlenose dolphins attacked and killed a common dolphin calf. "I've never seen that behaviour before. It's very common for bottlenose dolphins to attack porpoises but we've never seen it with common dolphins.' This the moment a common dolphin calf was flung into the air before being killed by a pod of four bottlenose dolphins in an extremely rare sighting (Image: Dylan Coundley-Hughes/Sea Watch Foundation ) The Sea Watch Foundation, a nationwide charity working to improve the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises in British waters, has been monitoring bottlenose dolphins in Cardigan Bay for over 20 years to inform and advise on their conservation status and protection. Dolphin spotting boat trips support their efforts by providing additional data and allowing interns to join wildlife trips to photograph the dolphins for photo-identification, a method by which individual dolphins can be identified by their dorsal fin. Cardigan Bay is considered one of the few locations in Britain with a resident bottlenose dolphin population. There are an estimated 200 to 300 bottlenose dolphins in the area. Bottlenose dolphins are often portrayed as playful and friendly animals but while their complex behaviour and intelligence is what draws people to them, scientists working with them often see another side to them as well. Katrin Lohrengel, who runs the Sea Watch Foundation's Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project, explained: 'Bottlenose dolphins have a very wholesome reputation but many people are not aware that male dolphins have been known to commit infanticide, they kill bottlenose dolphin calves. 'They have also been documented killing harbour porpoises and often show aggression to other cetacean species. Both infanticide and 'porpicide' are known to occur in Cardigan Bay but we have never witnessed interspecific aggression towards common dolphins before. While it's not surprising that this behaviour is taking place, it's very rare to witness it and even rarer to catch it on film.' Article continues below According to the charity, while it is difficult to pinpoint a cause for this aggressive behaviour, it is possible that competition for resources such as prey may play a role in these interactions. A post-mortem of the common dolphin calf will be conducted by CSIP (UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme), which may provide further insight into the circumstances surrounding this behavioural event and the condition of the calf.
North Wales Live
22-04-2025
- Health
- North Wales Live
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.
