Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat performed one of the most unusual rescues in its history when it saved a dolphin that was stranded on slobland.
The young dolphin had got stuck on slobland near Ballinamona in Ballycotton Bay on Sunday evening, and Ballycotton lifeboat was contacted by a local Irish Coast Guard unit.
Ballycotton RNLI cox Eolan Walsh said they believed the dolphin got stranded in the bogland at Ballinamore when high tide receded.
"We were contacted by the local Irish Coast Guard unit after they had received calls about the dolphin so we tasked both our all-weather boat, the Austin Lidbury, and our inshore boat."
According to Mr Walsh they were able to bring the inshore boat close to the dolphin which was stranded and exhausted after swimming up an inlet from the open sea.
"Two of our crew, Rupert Hugh-Jones and William Sliney, got into the water and went over to the dolphin who was just lying on some slobland and looked completely exhausted.
“We thought it was a young dolphin because it was only four feet long and we initially thought we might put it on a stretcher to carry it back out.
“It was in water little more than ankle deep but the lads managed to coax it into deeper water and then they began to swim beside it and managed to shepherd it back out to the open sea.
“I suppose it was the best part of a kilometre from the sea, and we presume it got separated from a pod but we couldn’t see any sign of a pod back at sea but it was getting dark at that stage.
“It certainly was one of the more unusual missions we have done but thankfully it ended well, and hopefully the dolphin has recovered from its ordeal now that it’s back in the open sea.”
