Drishti Marine Lifeguards Rescued a Striped Dolphin

GOA:
Drishti Marine lifeguards assisted in the rescue of a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) which was stranded at Miramar beach in Goa.
The incident was reported by trained Drishti Marine lifeguards of the Marine Wildlife Stranding Response and Monitoring Network set up collaboratively by Terra Conscious, IUCN – India under the aegis of IUCN Asia, Mangroves for the Future and Government of Goa Forest Department.
The report was followed by prompt stranding response by Drishti lifeguards, the Terra Conscious team, the Forest Department, the veterinarians from the Animal Husbandry department, Gowri Mallapur – wildlife veterinarian, Abhishek Jamalabad from WWF-India as well as by a small group of citizens on the beach. The response team followed protocols and ensured that the dolphin was kept stable until the veterinarians examined the dolphin. After release attempts in the morning, the dolphin was found to have returned stranded on Miramar beach again in the afternoon.
Based on advice by cetacean ecologists, it was determined that the dolphin be released in deeper water since it is a deep sea dwelling dolphin and would find it hard to fight the near shore currents to reach its habitat. With the help of the local fishing community, the dolphin was carried on a fishing boat to a distance of 3-4 kms away from the shore. The dolphin was released at this distance and the team returned once the dolphin was seen to swim in the direction away from the shore.