Anglesey: Dolphin dies after six stranded on beach

Dolphins breathe air but cannot survive out of water because of the weight of their bodies on land puts pressure on their organs

An adult dolphin has died after a pod of six became stranded on a beach.

The common dolphins were found on Wednesday morning at Valley, near Holyhead on Anglesey, with survivors "re-floated" by an incoming tide.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said volunteers directed them back out to sea.

Dolphins can survive out of water for about 12 hours, but the weight of their bodies can cut off oxygen to their organs.

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BDMLR dispatched a volunteer team of "marine mammal medics" to give first aid and work out how to try to save them.

With help from nearby RAF Valley and other volunteers, they first watched four of the dolphins attempting to swim back out to sea on a rising tide

Six common dolphins were found stranded on an Anglesey beach on Wednesday morning

But, as another low tide approached, the team became concerned they could become stranded again.

Medics wearing personal protective equipment went into the shallows to help direct the dolphins towards open water, which the animals eventually reached.

BDMLR said one of the two dolphins that disappeared during the rising tide was found dead and a post-mortem examination would be done by the UK's Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

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