Dolphin found stranded on Broughty Ferry beach has to be destroyed
A juvenile striped dolphin has had to be put down after being found stranded on Broughty Ferry beach.
- By Craig McManamon
- Published in the Courier : 12.01.11
- Published online : 12.01.11 @ 07.41am
Rescuers from Civil Defence Scotland (CDS) based at Broughty Castle Barracks were alerted to the incident at around 8.45am when a dog walker spotted the distressed animal lying on the foreshore at Sandy Beach near the Glass Pavilion.
The team immediately went to the scene and found the dolphin — just over one metre in length and believed to be only weeks old — in a panicked state and breathing heavily.
An inflated float was slid underneath it to lift it from the sand and workers spent much of the morning ensuring it was comfortable by pouring water over it and rubbing gel around its blowhole and eyes.
Blankets drenched in water were also draped over the creature to prevent it from drying out.
A specialist marine vet from British Divers Marine Life Rescue was called to assess its condition but the decision was taken to humanely destroy the dolphin at around 1pm.
It was felt that it was too young to be released back into the water and its chances of survival were remote.
Afterwards vet Austen Marr said putting the dolphin to sleep was the best option.
"We could not ensure the animal's well-being if we were to release it back into the water," he said.
"It is a very sad ending."
CDS team manager Gareth Norman (49), who oversaw the rescue effort, said, "People have asked me why don't you just release it back in the water and see how it gets on but I have to remind them that this is not Disney, it's the real world.
"It is unlikely the mother will still be in the area. What we could end up doing is coming across the same dolphin in a few days' time stranded on another beach."
Mr Norman added that the vet's difficult decision had been taken with the animal's best interest at heart.
"The dolphin had to be humanely destroyed as it was a juvenile mammal that was dependent on its mother and family group.
"Although it was possible that it could have been refloated, it may not have been able to reform with its family group."
The dolphin's carcass has now been placed with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who will transport it to the Scottish Agricultural College in Inverness for a post-mortem to be carried out.
09.08am - 12.01.2011 Outrage - Dundee, Tayside Report This
Its better to put a living animal down than release it back to its home again just incase it gets stranded or can't find its family again? An idea would have been to put it back in the damn water and at least let nature take its course.
10.24am - 12.01.2011 Graeme - Perth, Scotland Report This
Completely agree with Outrage. I'm sure the animal would rather take its chances in the sea. Perhaps there's an element of "self-justification" in the experts administering the lethal injection, or bullet in the case of the Dock Street deer?
10.32am - 12.01.2011 Muscleguy - Broughty Ferry, Scotland Report This
I agree, it seems it was put down to save hassle to us humans, not for it's own sake. There are no medical facilities out in the sea, that is what being a wild creature means. Refloat it, dolphin calls can travel a long way in water, who are they to say it would not have made contact with it's pod?
10.54am - 12.01.2011 ann taylor - dundee, united kingdom Report This
agree agree agree.... outraged as well!
11.00am - 12.01.2011 Reality - Dundee, Scotland Report This
'Outrage's idea of 'letting nature take its course' is for humans to get involved and return the dolphin to the water. Slight contradiction there perhaps? I'm not entirely comfortable with what was done, but it's too easy to rush to judge. I'm sure the experts were just as upset.
11.26am - 12.01.2011 Peegee - Kirkcaldy, Scotland Report This
Post mortem? The poor wee blighter was euthanised.
01.50pm - 12.01.2011 Louise - dundee, scotland Report This
this is disgusting! A human wouldn't be put down purely based on saving people the bother of looking after them so why should it be ok to do so for the dolphin, by the looks of things nothing was actually wrong with it other than it being stranded!
03.16pm - 12.01.2011 Mkt - Dundee, uk Report This
@ Reality<br /> By all means if the creature had been found dead then nature would have taken its course and it would be out of human hands but with it being alive the right thing to do and humane thing to do is return it to where it came from and give it its best chance! Not to take its life!
01.00am - 13.01.2011 stewart - Dundee, Scotland Report This
I feel that i should have my say, If this was a domestic pet starved to death you would want the person responsible dealt with, YES? This calf would have starved to death because it still needed it's mother to survive. To be continued..
01.08am - 13.01.2011 stewart - Dundee, Scotland Report This
Continued> If it had bee refloated the chances of finding it's pod would be very slim as it was possible that the dolphin had been there for sometime before it was noticed by the dog walker, the pod would have swam miles by then. if it didn't starve it was a very high risk it would have restranded>
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