Members of BDMLR and people from Westray, Orkney standing over stranded dolphins on the beach
Four Dolphins Saved After Dramatic Mass Stranding Rescue In Orkney
2 weeks ago 
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British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) has praised the power of quick community reporting and swift volunteer responder action after successfully recovering dolphins in Orkney following a stressful stranding emergency.
BDMLR was notified of six common dolphins stranded alive on a remote beach in Westray, Orkney, through their 24/7 national hotline. Two of the dolphins were confirmed to be young calves.
Access to the stranded dolphins was only made possible with the support of local charter vessel operators, as the area was so remote. Upon arrival, BDMLR Marine Mammal Medics found dolphins stranded across a shallow bay with pods up to 800 metres apart. Rescue attempts were physically challenging due to the distances between animals, as well as the limited phone signal.
Based on welfare assessments of the group, it was believed the dolphins may have stranded during a previous high tide and became stranded as the water levels went down. After medical assessment, BDMLR vets authorised refloats for all six dolphins and refloating was completed as the tide came in, with all six dolphins swimming away strongly. Despite best efforts, a further call from locals the next morning reported one dolphin had sadly been found deceased, and another dolphin was alive but declining. After being assessed by BDMLR vets, it was decided on welfare grounds to humanely euthanise the dolphin. With no further sightings of the four dolphins, it seems they have made a successful return to the ocean.
Alan Knight OBE, Chief Executive of British Divers Marine Life Rescue said:
“We’d like to thank everyone who worked on this response, particularly our volunteers Marine Mammal Medics who gave up their time and worked in difficult conditions to help these dolphins. As always, we are so grateful to the local community for reporting these animals as soon as they found them. While we always hope every animal we find will make it, we know that isn’t always possible. Four healthy dolphins back in the ocean is a great result and we will continue to learn every time we are called.”
BDMLR would like to thank the community of Westray, Orkney, the local vessel operators, HM Coastguard and other agencies who offered their help and support during this incident.
If you see any stranded marine life on the British coast, please call BDMLR’s 24 hour hotline on 0300 065 3000. Keep a safe distance and allow our Marine Mammal Medics to assess the situation. You can find out more about our work at www.bdmlr.org.uk
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Locating veterinary staff with knowledge of marine mammal medicine can be very challenging and is complicated by the fact that incidents can happen at any time and on any part of the coastline. So the more vets and RVNs we can get involved, the better the chance someone suitably experienced can attend these complex animals.
If you are interested in joining us, you would need to attend one of our Marine Mammal Medic courses first to learn the basics of seal and cetacean rescue.
After attending the course, a whole range of exciting additional resources which will be accessible to all vets and RVNs who are qualified BDMLR Medics – including further talks, quizzes and practical workshops. These will be made available in the near future.
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