Tragic baby dolphin dies after being 'abandoned by mother' and found stranded

Ellen Manning
Updated ·1-min read

Heartbreaking pictures show the moment a baby dolphin was found stranded in the sea on a beach in Cornwall.

The tiny dolphin was found struggling in the surf near Holywell beach and carried to a shallow pool but died shortly afterwards.

It is thought the dolphin, which appeared to have been injured, had been rejected by its mother, leaving it vulnerable.

In December, two dolphins were found dead on Castle Beach in Cornwall after it is believed they became stranded.

Beachgoers and lifeguards at Holywell beach in Cornwall were amazed and saddened by the discovery of a tiny baby dolphin struggling in the surf. See SWNS story SWBRdolphin; It was carried to a shallow pool where it sadly died shortly afterwards. ‘It is incredibly rare to see a baby dolphin,’ said Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Awareness Officer Matt Slater who was on the beach when it stranded. Matt continues, ‘The baby was weak and had rake marks on its body from the teeth of other dolphins. It was beautiful and tiny – I can’t believe how small they are. Common dolphins are one of the smallest dolphin species found in UK waters, slightly larger than a porpoise but much smaller than a bottlenose dolphin. There have been a lot of sightings of common dolphins around our coasts in the past week.’ British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called as soon as the dolphin was spotted by the lifeguards and they responded rapidly. Sadly, a baby dolphin this young is extremely vulnerable without its mother and it turned out that this individual was not only exhausted but badly injured.
The tiny baby dolphin was found struggling in the surf at Holywell beach in Cornwall. (SWNS)
Jago Gritthis lifeguard and dolphin. See SWNS story SWBRdolphin; It was carried to a shallow pool where it sadly died shortly afterwards. ‘It is incredibly rare to see a baby dolphin,’ said Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Awareness Officer Matt Slater who was on the beach when it stranded. Matt continues, ‘The baby was weak and had rake marks on its body from the teeth of other dolphins. It was beautiful and tiny – I can’t believe how small they are. Common dolphins are one of the smallest dolphin species found in UK waters, slightly larger than a porpoise but much smaller than a bottlenose dolphin. There have been a lot of sightings of common dolphins around our coasts in the past week.’ British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called as soon as the dolphin was spotted by the lifeguards and they responded rapidly. Sadly, a baby dolphin this young is extremely vulnerable without its mother and it turned out that this individual was not only exhausted but badly injured.
Lifeguard Jago Gritthis with the dolphin when it was found. (SWNS)

Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s marine awareness officer Matt Slater, who was on the beach
when the baby dolphin was found at around 6pm on Monday, said: “It is incredibly rare to see a baby dolphin.

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“The baby was weak and had rake marks on its body from the teeth of other dolphins. It was beautiful and tiny – I can’t believe how small they are.”

British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called when the dolphin was spotted by lifeguards.

Despite efforts to help the dolphin, it later died. (SWNS)
Despite efforts to help the dolphin, it later died. (SWNS)

But rescuers said a dolphin so young was extremely vulnerable without its mother and was exhausted as well as badly injured.

The animal was found with rake marks from common dolphin teeth on its skin and is believed to have either been rejected or separated by aggressive non-family members.

Slater added: “I have spent my lifetime on and in the sea but have never seen anything
like this.”

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