'Challenging' rescue of dolphin stranded in mud

Marine medics carried out a six-hour rescue of a dolphin which had become stranded in mud.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue was called to South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, to help the dolphin that had previously displayed erratic behaviour in the water for several hours.

The adult female common dolphin, which was about 1.5m (about 5ft) long, was in poor condition when it was found on 31 August, and its neurological state showed no signs of improvement, the rescuers said.

They determined that the kindest thing to do was to put it down.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, HM Coastguard and South Essex Wildlife Hospital also attended the scene.

The divers rescue group said: "The rescue was especially challenging, carried out in darkness with safety cover and lighting provided by Essex Fire and Rescue.

"Being so far upriver also made this an unusual and concerning situation for a cetacean, coupled with the dolphin's erratic pre-stranding behaviour."

Findings from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme showed the dolphin was in poor health with no evidence of recent feeding.

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