Animal rescue - Pymoor - East Cambs

02/09/2023 7.33PM

On Saturday (2) at 7.33pm, crews were called by The British Divers Marine Life Rescue to assist with the rescue of a dolphin near Hundred Foot Bank, Pymoor.

Crews from Cambridge, Littleport and Ely responded to reports that a young dolphin had become trapped in reeds in the river.

Firefighters travelled along the river to locate the dolphin and assist a marine wildlife expert with the rescue. They also sought advice from partner agencies, including the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Board, who manage the water levels.

Wearing in-water equipment, firefighters used sleds to get to the other side of the riverbed to assist. Firefighters cut back the reeds to be able to release the dolphin, so a full assessment could be carried out and first aid measures applied to the animal, before formulating a plan to release it back into the wild.

However, the dolphin had deteriorated, and the team were advised by a vet to remove it from the water again, as it would not survive on its own.

Firefighters were on scene for around five hours before returning to their stations shortly before 1am.

A fire service spokesperson said: 

“Crews were called to assist The British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who are experts in the field of rescuing marine wildlife.

“We respond to all kinds of animal rescues, but this one is an unusual one for us, as we don’t often see dolphins in our Cambridgeshire waterways.

“It was a challenging incident for those involved, firstly to locate the dolphin that had become trapped in reeds, as it’s a vast area, and the rescue team quickly lost light as the incident progressed.

“The welfare of the animals is always at the forefront, and firefighters were led by experts as to how best respond to the incident. Sadly, not all rescues have the outcome we hope for, and despite their best efforts, on this occasion, after an attempt to release it back into the water, experts advised that it would not survive on its own.”

 

Statement from BDMLR

On Saturday 2 September at around 7.30pm we were alerted to a common dolphin trapped in reeds at the edge of the New Bedford River near Pymoor which runs off the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire. The young dolphin is thought to be one of a pair seen as far inland as Bluntisham over the last few days, around 45 miles from open water.

BDMLR Medics assessed the scene upon arrival and understanding the complications of a rescue of this nature, called upon the Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service for support and additional help and equipment. The dolphin had wedged itself deep into the reeds, which have thick hollow stems and can grow to 5 meters high, making the task of extracting the dolphin even more difficult.

With the reeds cut back and the dolphin now out of the water and on our dolphin rescue raft, a full assessment was carried out and first aid measures applied to the stressed animal. There was some minor visible trauma to the dolphin's dorsal area and its breathing rate was elevated. The young dolphin was almost certainly maternally dependent and would need to be able to find its mother if it were to have a chance of survival, but with no sightings of an adult in that area of the river, it was looking more likely that they had become separated before the calf stranded.

With the uncertainty of whether the mother was in the river and just out of human sight and hearing, and with the dolphin's breathing returning to normal parameters, the decision was made to refloat the dolphin in the river, and observe for as long as possible in the low light in case it were to restrand. The dolphin initially started to swim down river but quickly stopped and was carried back by the flow of the river to where it had started, the dolphin's course was corrected but again it made little effort to swim and was just being carried back to the river bank and reeds.

With the Fire & Rescue service still on scene providing support, a veterinarian was called out and the dolphin was euthanized on welfare grounds at around 1am. The Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme and they will carry out a post mortem examination which will give us an insight into the health of the dolphin calf, and determine how long it has been in the river.

We are still looking out for the other dolphin to track its movements and monitor its health. If she can find her way back out to sea without intervention that would be the preferred outcome, however we are considering other options if we have further cause for concern over welfare. In the meantime members of the public are reminded that this species is protected by law from disturbance and should not be approached or interfered with in any way by water users as this may cause distress and difficulties with her current situation.

We would like to thank Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service for their unwavering support throughout the incident, and to BDMLR Medics James Bryan, Abs Ginimav and to Becky Carter for a long unplanned night on the river.

“It was a challenging incident for those involved, firstly to locate the dolphin that had become trapped in reeds, as it’s a vast area, and the rescue team quickly lost light as the incident progressed.

“The welfare of the animals is always at the forefront, and firefighters were led by experts as to how best respond to the incident. Sadly, not all rescues have the outcome we hope for, and despite their best efforts, on this occasion, after an attempt to release it back into the water, experts advised that it would not survive on its own.”