River dolphin in 'critical' recovery period

People have been urged not to interact with a dolphin as it goes through a "critical period" of recovery after its release from netting in a river.

The animal was spotted in the River Orwell, near Ipswich, with green netting clamped around its beak and pectoral fins on Wednesday afternoon.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said its volunteers would continue to monitor the dolphin and believed it "has every chance to exit the river by itself".

"This is a critical period for the animal and it needs time and space to do so without any additional stress or distraction," the service said.

"If anyone spots the dolphin in the area then we ask people to keep their distance, not crowd around, and not attempt to interact with it," the organisation said.

The entanglement could have prevented the animal feeding, which could cause complications once the pressure was released, "similar to a tourniquet", it added.

The BDMLR said it would continue to monitor the animal as sightings were reported and a plan would be made if further intervention was required, "depending on the circumstances".

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