Dolphin washes up on West Wittering beach

The Coastguard was called to West Wittering beach yesterday afternoon after a dolphin washed up on the shore.
A Coastguard team member at the scene. Photo: Selsey CoastguardA Coastguard team member at the scene. Photo: Selsey Coastguard
A Coastguard team member at the scene. Photo: Selsey Coastguard

The Selsey Coastguard attended the scene at around 2.08pm on Sunday (January 19).

A spokesman said: “We believe it to be the same dolphin that we were called to recently.

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“Photos, measurements and details of the Dolphin were taken and sent to our Operations Centre to forward to the National History Museum and the other relevant groups and organisations that need to be informed.”

Dolphins, porpoises and whales are all protected under the Royal Fish laws of the United Kingdom and HM Coastguard undertakes duties on behalf of the Receiver of a Wreck to record details of Royal Fish washed ashore, the spokesman said.

Anyone who comes across a Royal Fish washed up on the beach should call the Coastguard.

The spokesman added: “Dead mammals can be full of dangerous toxins and other things, so please stay away and keep dogs on a lead to prevent them coming into contact with them.”

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It was the second call out on a busy day for the Coastguard team.

In the early hours of the morning, the team was paged to Bognor Regis following reports of two people in the water.

However the team was stood down enroute, after it was confirmed that both casualties were out of the water and in the care of the police.

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Later that afternoon at around 5.40pm, the team was paged once more to a casualty with a suspected broken ankle on the sea wall at East Beach, Selsey, the spokesman said.

The casualty was assessed and kept warm, before being transferred to a stretcher and carried by Coastguard Rescue Officers to a friend’s vehicle to be transported to hospital.