'Danny the Dolphin' believed dead off Portland

Danny the Dolphin regularly appeared alongside pleasure craft off the Dorset coast

A dolphin which became a local celebrity off the Dorset coast is believed to have been found dead.

Portland Port said the body of a bottlenose dolphin was found in the water on Tuesday.

The Marine Connection charity said markings on the body were the same as "Danny the Dolphin" - a solitary animal who was a familiar sight along the coast in recent years.

The Danny the Dolphin Facebook group had more than 4,500 followers.

The UK Cetacean Stranding Information Project said it had collected the remains of the dolphin and would be carrying out an investigation into the death at London Zoo.

Danny the Dolphin was rescued after getting entangled on a yacht mooring off Swanage in October 2019

Liz Sandeman, Founder of Marine Connection, said although it was yet to be formally confirmed, she was "99%" sure it was Danny.

She said his death was likely to have been caused by a vessel strike.

"The public fell in love with him, but we really do need to keep solitary dolphins wild. The more habituated they become to vessels, they lose their wariness and it puts them in danger," she said.

Danny, thought to have been aged about 12, had recently appeared among the cruise ships moored off the Dorset coast when voyages were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dan Bell, of Jurassic Jetski Tours, who photographed Danny when he appeared alongside his tour groups, said the death was "very sad news".

"He was very friendly and playful. He would just pop up out of nowhere," he said.

Danny was believed to be the same dolphin which was rescued by a local fisherman after getting entangled on a yacht mooring off Swanage in October 2019.