'Disbelief' as pair find dolphin on riverbank

A father and son said they were in "disbelief" after finding a dead dolphin on a riverbank.

Archie Wayman and his dad Glen Wayman came across the animal next to the New Bedford River in Mepal, Cambridgeshire, on Sunday while driving home from work.

Archie said his dad spotted the common dolphin while driving on the A142. He said: "We were in disbelief, I thought he was winding me up to start with."

Dan Jarvis, director of welfare and conservation at British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said they had previously had a call about the dolphin on Thursday and "one of our volunteers went out to monitor it, but sadly that was the last time we saw it alive".

Jarvis said it was "more exceptional" to see a dolphin in that part of the county, rather than further downstream towards the River Great Ouse, King's Lynn and The Wash.

"There have been a few incidents where they go up [stream] and can't find a way out, and sometimes they need assistance," he said.

He added it was not uncommon for them to get lost, and said this case could have been either the animal getting into difficulty while following a food source or due to it being unwell.

He said the charity received a call to say the animal was deceased on Friday, and said its cause of death could not be established until a post-mortem examination was completed.

People were advised by the charity to take pictures or videos if they saw animals like this inland, and to report any findings or sightings to its hotline.

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