Reports of a stranded dolphin at Tofts in Orkney had medics and volunteers rallying together to try to save it.
Medics from the British Drivers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) from Sanday responded to the stranded adult female white-beaked dolphin on Saturday, July 17.
Due to it being a Saturday, and the remoteness of Sanday, it was difficult to pull a full team together.
Instead, the team appealed for help on social media and a group of volunteers came forward.
The volunteers were fully briefed before heading to Tofts to help the dolphin.
The dolphin was struggling on her side on a rocky shelf in the surf. Though she had sustained superficial wounds from gulls on her flank and above her eye, her overall health seemed to be good.
Harsh weather conditions such as strong winds and large waves led the team to make the decision to refloat the dolphin at a different location.
The team were able to move the animal onto a specialised stretcher before loading her into a trailer and moving her to a different beach.
Unfortunately, the rest of the rescue did not go as hoped.
Medics spent hours in the water with the dolphin but, although she initially seemed to swim away well, she kept swimming back around to the beach and becoming stranded once again.
In case she was disorientated, the team intended to move her to another beach.
Sadly, her condition deteriorated rapidly before they could do so. It was decided that the only way to end the dolphin’s suffering was to euthanise her.
Flett & Carmichael Vets got to the beach by charter vehicle and euthanised the dolphin at around 1am on Sunday, July 18.
Samples were sent to the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme and a full investigation into the incident took place.
In a Facebook post, the BDMLR thanked the vets, volunteers and medics for their help throughout the rescue.
A spokesman from BDMLR said: “It was a fantastic community effort and it’s just sad it didn’t have the ending we were all hoping for.
“Sanday is an amazing community who have helped us with strandings in the past successfully. We’re really lucky to have folk who are willing to help.”
This rescue mission comes only a short time after BDMLR attempted to save a stranded fin whale from a beach in Orkney.