Dolphin rescued after stranding in muddy creek in Cornwall

The dolphin was found in a creek near Carnon Downs

A dolphin was rescued after it was stranded in a muddy creek in Cornwall.

The common dolphin was spotted swimming in circles in a creek near Carnon Downs on Friday.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue teams went to help and said the dolphin was a recently weaned juvenile.

It was rescued through staff using a tandem paddleboard, given treatment and then taken to a release site in Falmouth after the team initially tried to refloat it.

"Medics slowly reduced support to see how it responded and at first it didn't do much but after a few moments suddenly sprang to life and dashed out to sea," a spokesperson said.

"The beach and surrounds were searched by torchlight but it was not seen again. The dolphin was numbered with a livestock marker for future identification."

They added they have "guarded optimism" it was a successful release.

The team was also alerted to a second dolphin sighting further down the creek on the opposite bank.

An adult female dolphin was found dead and "appeared to be in moderate body condition but there were no obvious health issues visually", they said.