A DOLPHIN which got stranded in a Cornish river has been successfully released back into local waters following a co-ordinated rescue mission.

The female common dolphin was spotted on Sunday, January 19, at the edge of Lostwithiel, some six miles inland, after getting trapped in a small section of the River Fowey as the tide was going out.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue director, Gavin Parsons, said: “I was one of the first at the scene and found a lone common dolphin trapped in a deep pool in a bend in the river. It was free swimming, but getting back to sea would be hard for the dolphin and there was a strong chance it would strand out of sight during the night.”

With the situation assessed, a team of specially trained Marine Mammal Medics and Vets were assembled and they waded into the river to transfer the dolphin to a stretcher, before driving it by car to nearby Polkerris Beach, where it was successfully tagged and released back into St Austell Bay.

Specially trained Marine Mammal medics and vets from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team deal with the stranded common dolphin in the River Fowey
Specially trained Marine Mammal medics and vets from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team deal with the stranded common dolphin in the River Fowey (Gavin Parsons/British Divers Marine Life Rescue)

Director of welfare and conservation, Dan Jarvis, said: “The animal appeared to have got there due to being disoriented, so leaving it to find its own way out overnight would probably have not ended well. Herding it out with a small craft similarly would probably not have worked well as it would have had to take place after dark and would be more risky.

“The remaining alternative was to physically relocate the dolphin from the river back to the coast, which had a more guaranteed opportunity for success.”

Mr Jarvis confirmed there were hundreds of dolphins off the Cornish coast at this time of year, so it was not uncommon for them to swim up tidal waters to follow fish or other food sources.