Cristina Hodgson
A BEACHED dolphin has died despite frantic efforts to save it by wildlife experts.
The 7ft-long (2.13m) common dolphin had been washed up at Misericordia beach in Malaga, after high tide this Wednesday morning.
Marine medics, policia local and bathers all tried to revive the stranded animal, however, although it had initially shown signs of life, it died shortly after the rescue attempt.
According to official sources, the dolphin was spotted by bathers who were walking and playing on the beach, near the Vincci hotel in Malaga.
The dolphin was struggling to swim out to sea because of the strong waves crashing onto the shore and despite several attempts by bathers to return the dolphin to the water, it always returned to the beach.
Following telephone instructions from Aula del Mar wildlife experts, who dispatched a team to the scene, the bathers did everything possible to maintain the dolphin alive, continually wetting it with T-shirts and buckets of water.
Holes were also dug in the sand around the stranded animal to allow the fins and tail room to move.
However, despite frantic efforts to save the dolphin, it died later on in the afternoon, shortly after it was transferred to Aula del Mar’s marine species recovery centre (CREMA).
The centre’s director Jose Luis Mons said the dolphin was a male common dolphin of just over two metres, of advanced age and possibly sick. It weighed 90 kilos, some 15 kilos less than its corresponding weight.
In addition it had significant jaw damage, fin wounds and old scars.
A necropsy will be performed this Thursday to determine the exact cause of death.
Both common and striped bottlenose dolphins inhabit the Costa del Sol all year around and sightings at sea are quite usual.
If spotted stranded on the beach, marine experts stress the importance of calling 112 immediately.
