A living white-beaked dolphin stranded on the beach of Egmond aan Zee in the Netherlands last night. To protect the animal from overheating, bystanders kept it cool with wet cloths and buckets of water, the organization SOS Dolfijn reports on social media. The dolphin was later transferred to a specialized sanctuary.
Lore Vanhaelewyn
Journalist at HLN
Source: AD, NH News
Hikers discovered the dolphin around 8 p.m. after they saw something struggling on the beach. They immediately raised the alarm. Beach explorer Marco Snijders was also notified. He monitors everything that washes up in Egmond aan Zee. When he heard that the dolphin was still alive, he immediately took action. “Then it is urgent,” he told regional broadcaster NH.
Bystanders keep dolphin cool
Together with a group of bystanders, the beach explorer tried to keep the white-beaked dolphin cool while waiting for the experts from SOS Dolfijn. They monitored the animal’s body temperature with wet cloths and buckets of seawater. According to Snijders, this was crucial, because the dolphin can quickly overheat due to the enormous stress.
Not everyone on the beach realized that a rescue operation was underway, says Snijders. Some beachgoers immediately wanted to push the dolphin back into the sea. “But an animal is stranded for a reason. If they strand, there is usually something wrong. If you push them back, they can strand again a few hours later. That’s when the animal is really stressed.”
The white-beaked dolphin has now been transferred to the SOS Dolfijn shelter. According to spokesperson Jeroen Hoekendijk, the animal does not appear to have any injuries or entanglements at first glance. A veterinarian is currently examining whether it is a male or a female. Whether there are underlying health problems will only become clear later.
White-beaked dolphins have a blunt snout and can grow between 2.5 and 3 meters in length. They typically weigh between 180 and 360 pounds.
The species mainly lives in the north of the Atlantic Ocean and is rarely seen on the Dutch coast. Previously, only two white-beaked dolphins were cared for at SOS Dolfijn. Both animals did not survive.
