Dolphin rescue in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo

On Saturday, 23rd November, a lone dolphin in distress was discovered on the shoreline by Lisa Lomax, who quickly contacted the IWDG and provided videos of the situation. IWDG responders were alerted, and as the dolphin appeared to be in reasonable condition and given that it was a pelagic species who may not know coastal waters as well as coastal species, it was given another chance at life through an on-site re-float. Within 40 minutes of the dolphin being discovered it was back swimming in the sea. The dolphin didn’t have far to go to reach deeper waters, and there has been a lot of common dolphin activity in Sligo Bay over the past few months.

Below is an account of the event from IWDG member May Burns.

I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone involved in the rescue effort: Lisa, Jonathan, Freya, May, Siobhan, Aoife, Colette, Rachel, and Josh. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions, including assessing the situation, providing updates to our Live Stranding Coordinator, and assisting with the refloat

Once the dolphin was re-floated and swam towards open water, it was not seen again. A follow-up check of the local coastline on Sunday found no further stranded dolphins.

Thank you all for your incredible effort and dedication.

— Gemma
IWDG Live Stranding Coordinator

May’s summary

” At 9.30am, I received an alert via Sligo IWDG Whatsapp that a dolphin had stranded on Mullaghmore Beach. I live close by, so headed down to the beach immediately. I had participated in a Live Stranding Course a few years ago, as had Freya, another local, who I knew from the text messages was on her way also. When I reached the beach, I saw Lisa attempting to stabilise the dolphin in an upright position in very shallow water only a metre or two from the water’s edge. The dolphin was breathing rapidly and appeared distressed. Lisa reported that an attempt had already been made to bring the animal to deeper water but he had turned back to shore.
With Freya on the beach and Gemma from IWDG on the phone, we assessed that the animal was breathing rapidly, in some distress but strong. There were no visible signs of injury. Given his size he looked like a juvenile. A jet ski was available in the area if needed to assist the animal to deeper water but we decided to attempt another manual refloating first.
Using a large bath towel underneath him, Freya, May, Jonathan & Lisa turned him around and carried him towards deeper water. As we got deeper, he swam free, but after a few metres he began to veer off and began heading back towards shore about 20 metres from where he had been stranded. Luckily, Aoife had arrived and was standing in the water just where he was swimming in towards shore. She manually guided him around to face back out towards deep water. He swam back out towards the deep and this time he kept going. We saw him swim out deeper & deeper, eventually losing sight of him. We heard later that a drone was filming and had footage of him swimming out to sea. ”

The following are short explanations of terms used and noted observations. These and more are covered in detail in IWDG Live Stranding Courses. Details of our 2025 courses around Ireland will be made available in early 2025.

• Pelagic Dolphin – Species of dolphins that primarily inhabits the open ocean, away from coastal areas. e.g Common dolphins, Atlantic white sided dolphins..These dolphins are highly adapted to life in deep, offshore waters, often ranging far from land.
• Coastal Species – Dolphin species or porpoises that primarily inhabit shallow waters near coastlines, bays, estuaries, and river mouths are well-adapted to life in nearshore environments. Examples include bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises.
• Breathing rate – A healthy, calm dolphin’s breathing rate is 2–5 breaths per minute. A rate of 6–10 breaths per minute indicates the dolphin is stressed or its breathing is compromised. More than 10 breaths per minute suggests the dolphin is severely stressed or has serious respiratory problems. This rate can return to normal when the stress is reduced, the dolphin is cooled, or trenches are dug under the animal to relieve pressure on the pectoral fins and lungs. However, if the breathing rate doesn’t decrease after first aid is administered, it indicates a poor prognosis for the dolphin.
• First aid – Positioning, cooling, calming, and protecting the dolphin from the sun or wind are critical (attend an IWDG Live Stranding course to learn how to help a live-stranded dolphin).
• Startled – Common dolphins, in particular, startle easily when live stranded. It is best to let them see you at all times, approach slowly, and keep the area quiet. Volunteers should work in hushed voices. Dolphins can calm when they realise you aren’t a threat. Handling should be kept to a minimum, and first aid should be given promptly.
• Listing – When a dolphin live strands and lists to one side, the lung on the downward side is compressed, causing the opposite lung to over-inflate slightly to compensate. When the dolphin re-enters the water with this lung imbalance, it may continue to list to one side. This imbalance can recover over time, and the dolphin’s position in the water may become more neutral.
• Live Stranding – A live stranding occurs when a dolphin, whale, or porpoise is beached alive, out of the water. This is more common in Common dolphins, which are a pelagic species and unfamiliar with local coastlines, unlike Harbour porpoises or Bottlenose dolphins. When Common dolphins feed closer to the coast or venture over flat areas with sandbars or mudflats, they can become disoriented and fail to find their way out before the tide recedes, especially during spring tides.
• Survival time – Dolphins breathe air through the blowhole at the top of their head, so they can survive out of water for a significant time, often hours, if cared for properly. However, a live stranding for a dolphin is akin to a car crash for us, taking a massive toll on its body. Dolphins survive longer when trained IWDG volunteers attend to them and provide first aid, but the longer they remain out of water, the more severe the effects of the stranding. Some dolphins are highly susceptible to stress and can die quickly from shock, especially if mishandled or attacked by gulls. Overheating out of water severely compromises a dolphin’s health, as does lying on their side while stranded. Large whales, unfortunately, face additional challenges due to their immense weight, which can cause muscle breakdown, clog their kidneys, and lead to renal failure, among other fatal conditions. As a result, large whales are not candidates for re-floating.
• Re-floating – if a dolphin is deemed a re-float candidate, it is first gently rolled on to a tarpaulin or rescue sheet using a technique taught in our live stranding courses. The tarpaulin is then lifted by around 6 people as a common can weight up to 130kg, and is placed no more than thigh to waist deep. It is then allowed to recover for a time before being released. A dolphins tail or fins should never be used to move or pull a dolphin as this can cause dislocation injuries to the dolphin.