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Rescue
Australia saves 150 dolphins from shallow water
The large pod was herded out to sea by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
YESTERDAY, THEJOURNAL.IE REPORTED the dangerous predicament of a large pod of dolphins off Western Australia’s south coast.
Between 100 and 150 pantropical spotted dolphins found themselves in shallow water at Whalers Cover, near Albany. One had already died.
The Department of Environment and Conservation set its experts to work and managed to herd the large pod out to sea, avoiding a potential mass stranding at Two Peoples Baby Nature Reserve.
Officers monitored the dolphins until high tide, when conditions were suitable for them to be guided out to deeper water.
Nature conservationist Dean Utber said officers moved a young dolphin by boat to deeper waters as part of the operation.
“The juvenile was sending out distress signals, which was calling the dolphins in, as soon as it was translocated to deeper waters the pod followed it out and last we saw they were swimming out to sea.”
A spotter plane conducted aerial surveillance off the coastline and no pod was found. Utber thanked all those involved in the successful operation.
Unfortunately, dolphins off the Irish coast weren’t so lucky this week as 12 creatures were found washed up on Achill Island.
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