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How did you spend Easter morning? This man towed a stranded dolphin back to the depths off Achill

While most of the country was enjoying a lie-in, the Achill Coast Guard team led a local rescue mission for a stranded dolphin…

[Achill Coast Guard]

 

THE ACHILL IRISH Coast Guard team organised the successful re-floating of a young dolphin on Easter Sunday morning — while most of the country was still asleep.

The volunteers were alerted to the situation at around 9.30am, when officer-in-charge Colin Honeyman received a call saying two dolphins had become stranded on Keem beach, at the western end of the County Mayo island.

They had been discovered by two members of the public, who raised the alarm and began trying to refloat the stranded mammals.

“Without the right water equipment like a wetsuit they were finding it difficult to get the dolphins out to sea,” Honeyman said.

When the Coast Guard team arrived at the scene they discovered one of the dolphins had died, but the other was still very much alive.

“These dolphins were small — about six foot in length and were only young. The tide was going out quickly and something had to be done soon.”

The team made contact with a nearby fisherman, and came up with a plan to escort the surviving animal back out to deeper water, in order to minimise the risk of a re-stranding.

Honeyman, decked out in a wetsuit, swam from the beach with the dolphin under his arm until he could reach a tow-line thrown from the small fishing vessel — around 30 metres off shore.

“He was splashing around a fair bit, but he wasn’t that strong. As we swam out I was thinking ‘I’m not sure if he’s going to make it’.

But as soon as I got into the deep water he seemed to get a new lease of life and just swam off — he really went for it.

Honeyman’s stressing the tricky business of dolphin-escorting isn’t a normal part of Irish Coast Guard protocol.

“I’d be a keen surfer though, and I had the gear — it was clear something had to be done, so I didn’t necessarily do it in a Coast Guard capacity, so to speak.”

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    Mute Lewis Armstrong
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    Sep 23rd 2023, 11:33 AM

    There are in fact bad dog breeds and it is not just about bad owners. These are animals and can just snap; the key issue is whether a dog could be capable of killing a small child and, if so, they should be banned. If a dog cannot be physically overpowered by an adult then there is no question it should be destroyed and banned. No value to society having these types of creatures kept in peoples homes.

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    Mute Wombleman
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    Sep 23rd 2023, 11:57 AM

    @Lewis Armstrong: couldn’t agree more. Focus should be on propensity to do extreme physical harm and nothing else.

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    Mute Tommy Haze
    Favourite Tommy Haze
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    Sep 23rd 2023, 12:55 PM

    Saw a young woman walking down the street with an American bully recently.
    Her dog spotted another dog across the street and took off. He literally dragged her on the ground across the street. Fortunately the other dog had skidaddled.
    She got up, her jeans were ripped from being dragged.
    She said:
    ‘Brutus, behave yourself’
    She had no control of that dog.

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    Mute Paul
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    Sep 23rd 2023, 5:00 PM

    Guns dont kill people, people kill people.

    Rabid killer fighting dogs dont kill people, bad owners do..blah blah blah.

    1. Muzzle all dogs in public.
    2. Impound and euthanized unmuzzled dogs
    3. Make owners fully criminally responsible for the actions of their killer pets.
    4. Enforce the above strictly.

    No more dog attacks.

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    Mute Cornelius Murphy
    Favourite Cornelius Murphy
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    Aug 29th 2024, 10:08 PM

    There is NO enforcement of dog laws. we need police and dog wardens…..

    (yes, I have two licenced rescue dogs)

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