Dolphin Calf Rescued at New Quay Harbour

A dolphin calf, separated from its mother, has been rescued by a group of dedicated wildlife enthusiasts in New Quay. 🐬

The common dolphin calf was first spotted with its mother close to the harbour and lifeboat station in New Quay. Although called common dolphins, this species is not at all common in New Quay, where the waters are heavily dominated by the much larger bottlenose dolphins and there have only been a handful of previously recorded sightings.

The mother and calf were both swimming in shallow water and seemed lethargic. The crew of New Quay Boat Trips, who had spotted the pair became concerned for their health.

Soon after, a kayaker paddled a bit too close and scared off the mother leaving the calf in dire need of help.

"The tide was still due to be going out for about another two hours and the lone calf started showing some signs of distress," said wildlife photographer Josh Pedley, who had come down to the harbour.

"It was spending most of its time 'logging' on the surface of the water and swimming round in circles.

"As the tide receded, the waves increased and the calf was getting pushed ever shallower."

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was contacted for advice. It was suggested that the rescuers do their best to keep the dolphin afloat and prevent it from stranding.

Josh, along with the dolphin spotting boat's skipper and crew, Chloe Duckworth and Phoebe Jones, entered the freezing water without wet or dry suits, to save the baby dolphin from being stranded on the beach, which would be highly likely to lead to its death.

Volunteers from BDMLR then arrived to assist the rescuers. At first they tried to walk the calf out into deeper water, but every time it was pushed back in by the waves.

One of the volunteers advised that it would be best to take the calf out to deeper water to stand a chance of being reunited with its mother.

The team ran off the get the smaller New Quay Boat Trips company crew boat and, with the help of passers by, were able to drag the boat into the sea and begin the dolphin rescue mission, aided by a third crew member, Tegan Allan.

The team carefully lifted the dolphin calf into the small boat in a sling made from a bed sheet. They took the calf out to sea where they carefully lowered it back into the water.

The calf swam around the boat a few times and swam off in the direction the mother had gone earlier.

Checks this morning, Sunday, of the beaches around New Quay have had no sight of the calf and it is hoped that it has been reunited with its mother.
"At this stage, no news is good news," said Josh. "We certainly did all we could to give this animal its best chance of survival." 🌊

📸 Dolphin Spotting Boat trips

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[BouncyBunny-hv]

If it's not with its mother, how is it saved? It won't survive.