An early morning message from Gemma O’Connor, IWDG Live Stranding Coordinator, just before 9am alerted us once again to an estimated 8 dolphins circling on a dropping tide in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. Having assisted with a previous mass live stranding at the same location before Christmas, we were familiar with the terrain and felt well
On Sunday, 27 common dolphins stranded in Ballyvaughan. The dolphins were in good body condition, indicating they were a healthy pod prior to the event. This was most likely a case of navigational error on a dropping tide, with this pelagic pod becoming disoriented in shallow, muddy terrain and unable to escape before the tide