British dolphin rescued

This video says about itself:

Aug 22, 2013

A dolphin which had become stranded on sandbanks in the River Dee has been released into deeper water. Flint RNLI lifeboat launched at around 11.30am this morning and proceeded to Airbus UK’s loading facility, just downstream from Saltney Ferry.

The dolphin was in difficulty and required help to reach deeper waters.

With a representative from British Divers Marine Life Rescue on board to monitor its condition, the volunteer crew put the dolphin inside a stretcher and transferred her into the lifeboat.

The Flint inshore RNLI lifeboat headed towards Rhyl and was met by Rhyl all-weather lifeboat and the crew worked together to help release her in to deeper waters at Rhyl Flats.

From Wildlife Extra:

Common dolphin rescued from the River Dee

Dolphin refloated after stranding upriver

September 2013. After reports and photographs appeared on the internet appeared to show a common dolphin in the River Dee, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) service became concerned after the dolphin was reported to be mid-way to Chester.

Common dolphins prefer deeper waters and rarely enter rivers, but this animal may have been chasing fish into the Dee estuary and up the river. Once there, it may have experienced problems getting back out due to the high flooding tides associated with the local waters, especially on spring tides as currently.

BDMLR volunteers, along with members of the Coastguard and helpful members of the public, tracked the dolphin from the shore as it swam all the way up to Chester, and then turned back seawards. After a long day and many miles, it was seen heading out towards Flint in the estuary as daylight failed at around 9pm and the teams were stood down.

The following day BDMLR received a call to say that the dolphin was sadly back in the River close to Saltney. BDMLR volunteers, members of the Coastguard and locals again monitored its progress from the river banks and it repeated the journey of the previous day, swimming strongly and exhibiting feeding behaviour as had been observe[d] on previous days. It reached the Connah’s Quay area in late evening as the flooding tide entered the river and so was unable to swim back into the open sea.

Stranded

The next day it was again reported back in the river moving towards Chester, and subsequently the dolphin stranded about two miles away from Saltney.

An inshore lifeboat from Flint was called and the dolphin was made comfortable on board by a BDMLR team.

About 6 miles out to sea and in at least 18 metres of water, the female dolphin was put over the side of the lifeboat in a sling stretcher, with a couple of RNLI on either side to gently rock the dolphin as per BDMLR protocol. This helps to restore the animal’s equilibrium and recirculate any fluids that may have built up on one side. However, as the dolphin had not been stranded long, it gave all the right signs for release and as BDMLR medic Steve O’Connor on the lifeboat says, ‘went off like a rocket’ after a few minutes.

Conservationists are calling for the UK government to protect 17 recently identified important marine ‘megafauna hotspots’ known for dolphins, whales and basking sharks: here.

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• Stranded dolphin hitches a lift back to sea aboard lifeboat (standard.co.uk)
• ‘Davina’ the dolphin rescued from River Dee (walesonline.co.uk)
• Stranded dolphin rescued by lifeboat (bbc.co.uk)
• Lifeboat rescues dolphin from shallows of river Dee (theguardian.com)
• Lifeboat rescues dolphin from shallows of river Dee (ecobooks4kids.wordpress.com)
• Lift to sea for stranded dolphin new A dolphin which swam miles up a Welsh river and into English waters is being transported out to sea after it became stranded on sandbanks. (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
• River Dee dolphin ‘safe and well’ and back in the sea (itv.com)