Dolphins at Lower Sandwick

I was told this morning that dolphins were stuck in the bay by Lower Sandwick, so I duly went down the road to have a look. A Coastguard team was in attendance, as was the local vet. The dolphins, both measuring about 8 feet in length, were separately hauled up to the shore on a tarpaulin. The vet assessed their state of health, which was found to be quite poor. Neither animal was able to maintain their natural posture in the water, and had other injuries. How they sustained their injuries will never be known. The decision was taken to euthanise both dolphins, a duty carried out by the vet.

I was very sad at the demise of these two creatures, but it was unavoidable. Their carcases are likely to be taken away from Lower Sandwick for disposal at the Bennadrove dump.

I would like to thank the representatives from the Coastguard for taking the time to fill me in on the situation at the scene.

UPDATE: There were 5 dolphins trapped in the bay, but the other three managed to free themselves on the rising tide at 1 pm.