Latest news with #boatpropeller
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Warning to boat owners after lone dolphin in Lyme Bay injured
Motorboat users have been urged to slow down and stay back from marine wildlife after a dolphin was found injured in waters off Marine Management Organisation (MMO) said the bottlenose dolphin which has been spotted regularly in Lyme Bay had been injured by what was thought to be a boat MMO said there had been an increase in reports of the lone dolphin in close physical interactions with response to this injury and other dolphins' dorsal fins being severely damaged in Cornish waters this week, the MMO has planned an online event on Thursday 14 August to invite the public to protect the mammals. Earlier this week Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it had received "shocking footage" from the Mevagissey to Fowey ferry crew which showed at least five dolphins with damaged dorsal fins, including two whose fins had been completely cut off.A spokesperson for the trust said a vet examined the injuries and said they had most likely been caused by high-speed watercraft or propellers. The MMO said its event would help people understand solitary dolphin behaviour, the dangers of human contact and how they could help protect the wild visitor. One of the speakers, Liz Sandeman from Marine Connection, leads its solitary, sociable dolphin said: "When lone dolphins start spending time closer to shore, unquestionably their behaviour does change within months. "They quickly become accustomed to humans and boats, losing their instinctive fear and caution, which could potentially put them at greater risk. "Solitary, sociable dolphins represent a unique behavioural group that requires focused conservation efforts and this individual dolphin needs protection now more than ever."A speaker from Whale and Dolphin Conservation will also be at the event and the organisation advised boat owners: "To avoid disturbance and harm to cetaceans and other marine mammals, the key take-home messages are: Go slow – stay back – don't chase."
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Army Ranger in ICU after being hit by boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas
A former Army Ranger was seriously injured after a boat propeller sliced into him while snorkeling in the Bahamas. Brent Slough was vacationing with his family on June 30 when the hit-and-run incident occurred in the Exuma district of the islands. The driver of the boat did not stop and has not been charged. Slough, a West Point graduate and former Ranger who served six years in the military as well as one tour in Iraq, was in the water before dinner when a boat skimming the shallows struck him. According to his wife, Whitney Slough, the propeller hit Slough underneath the buttocks and the legs, causing him to bleed profusely. Recalling the incident to WFAA, she said: 'We hear Brent screaming, 'Help me, help me, help me.' We didn't realize that he was struck by the boat.' Slough's family, with the help of other Good Samaritans on the beach, pulled him from the water and wrapped his legs in towels in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He was taken to a nearby hospital. He was later airlifted back to the U.S., and is currently in the ICU in Miami, having undergone surgery almost immediately – which lasted four hours. His wife told WFAA that doctors were unable to stitch the wounds because they're so deep and have packed them instead. A GoFundMe to help with his medical bills has so far raised over $50,000. Bahamian authorities are now searching for the boat and those responsible. 'They know they hit him, they saw him snorkeling,' Whitney Slough said. 'And they drove off. I just can't let that be….We're lucky that he's alive and there's no way that they should be able to get away with this.' She added: '[The Bahamas] is such a beautiful place. But I feel like I'm in a nightmare.'
