A newborn dolphin was stranded at the beach of Sarakina in South Peloponnese and it was only because of mobilization of citizens, volunteers and marine mammal experts and that could be rescued and released back to the open sea.
The young dolphin stranded in the swallow waters of Sakarina beach in Katakolo by Pyrgos in Ilia, South Peloponnese.
Some locals grabbed the small mammal by the tail and tried to bring it back to deeper waters. Without success.
The dolphin kept coming back unable to swim properly but on one side.
Volunteers arrived at the spot, also some members of the Coast Guard.
Nobody knew what to do and the operation seemed helpless.
A veterinarian who is a member of ARION Rescue & Care Research Center For Marine Mammals was called in.
Vet Efthimia Fotiadis examined the young mammal as good as she could. The newborn seemed to suffering from a neurological problem due to a virus that currently affects also other mammals in some regions in Greece.
She injected two shots of medicine.
After a few hours, the young mammal seemed to recovering.
Except the injections nothing else could be done.
With the help of a boat, the dolphin was taken to open sea and was released.
One of the volunteers, Konstantina Koumioti told zoosos “the dolphin was small, a beautiful creature, swimming without orientation, turning on the side and upside down, making turns and swimming back to the shore.”
The dolphin “was crying, it was obvious that it was in trouble and desperately seeking for help,” she added.
In a press release ARION said “the dolphin was a newborn Grampus griseus, 150 cm long with a weight of 20-25 kg.”
The Research Center underlined that pulling the dolphin into deep waters could have ended up in the drowning of the mammal.
ARION stresses that if anyone sees a mammal in need should contact them in phone numbers 6945531850 or 6945644994, or inform the local port authorities.
PS Now everybody is wondering whether the newborn will survive….
