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Dolphin mother found dead following death of juvenile in Cambridgeshire waterways




The mother of a juvenile dolphin that had to be put down after getting into trouble in Cambridgeshire’s waterways has died.

She was found in the Bluntisham area of the River Great Ouse, about six miles away from the stretch of the New Bedford River near Pymoor where a rescue operation had been mounted on Saturday night in a thwarted attempt to save her offspring.

Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath
Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath

The two dolphins had amazed onlookers by heading up the Great Ouse as far as they could go to the Bluntisham/Earith area, about 45 miles inland. But there was concern for their welfare as dolphins do not tend to fare well in freshwater, where they are less buoyant and may struggle to find suitable food.

The mother was confirmed dead on Monday evening and its body was collected by the Cetaceans Stranding Investigation Programme, which also collected the body of the juvenile dolphin after it was euthanised at about 1am on Sunday morning.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue medics, aided by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, freed a juvenile dolphin from reeds on the New Bedford River near Pymoor, but the rescue proved to be in vain. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue
British Divers Marine Life Rescue medics, aided by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, freed a juvenile dolphin from reeds on the New Bedford River near Pymoor, but the rescue proved to be in vain. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue

A spokesperson for The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team, which had tried to save the juvenile, told the Cambridge Independent there was no visible evidence that the mother had got stranded or stuck, but the body was starting to decompose, so she had probably been dead for a couple of days.

“We think it would have died around the same time that the other one was found,” said the spokesperson.

Examinations of the body of the young dolphin have suggested it was probably not a dependent calf but a juvenile. This means it was “not physically reliant on its mother, but probably still socially reliant”.

The juvenile dolphin released from reeds on the New Bedford River near Pymoor, but later put down as it could not swim properly. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue
The juvenile dolphin released from reeds on the New Bedford River near Pymoor, but later put down as it could not swim properly. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue

“We know that the younger one was very weak when we went out on Saturday night,” said the spokesperson. “This does indicate that they were probably in poor health, because the adult has also died and there are no visible signs that she got stuck or was hit by any vessels.”

Post-mortem examinations by the Cetaceans Stranding Investigation Programme will help determine if the two dolphins were sick.

The rescue operation unfolded on Saturday (September 2) from about 7.30pm, when the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were called to the New Bedford River at Hundred Foot Bank, near Pymoor, which runs off the Great Ouse, after the young dolphin had got caught in reeds.

The juvenile dolphin was rescued from reeds but failed to swim properly when put back in the river. Picture: Abs Ginimav, British Divers Marine Life Rescue medic
The juvenile dolphin was rescued from reeds but failed to swim properly when put back in the river. Picture: Abs Ginimav, British Divers Marine Life Rescue medic

Its medics called in Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service to help and provide equipment, due to the complicated nature of the rescue. Crews from Cambridge, Littleport and Ely responded, helped to locate the dolphin and sought advice from the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Board, which manage water levels.

They managed to free the dolphin and release it back into the water but found it was making little effort to swim and was being carried back to the riverbank and reeds.

Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath
Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath

A vet was called and the dolphin was euthanised for welfare reasons.

It had been hoped the mother - whose whereabouts were unknown at that stage - would find her way back to sea, but sadly that proved not to be the case.

Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath
Common dolphins swimming in the River Great Ouse, near Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Jon Heath

Dolphins are a rarer sight on the east coast than the west, and it is thought to be unprecedented that they should venture so far inland here.



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