Enjoy a quiet walk along the shore of the beach and, suddenly, come across a stranded dolphin. It seems like a scene straight out of a movie, but unfortunately it is becoming more and more common, also on our coasts. At the beginning of March he was alerted that nine of these animals had been stranded on the beaches of Vigo in just one weekend. Only a tiny part of the global data provided by the Coordinator for the Study of Marine Mammals (CEMMA), which sets the number of animals stranded on the Galician coasts during 2023 at 699. But there have also been cases in other regions, such as Cádiz or Murcia. And many more throughout the world. In fact, one of the most recent and striking took place in Venezuela, at the beginning of March, where more than 200 stranded dolphins were found.
The reasons behind these cases are very varied. On the one hand, dolphins can end up stranded due to natural causes: old age, various diseases or pathologies, attacks by predators, malnutrition or even environmental factors. Or simply because they get disoriented. But there are also anthropic causes, that is, in which the human being is the cause.
One of the most frequent has to do with fishing. For example, accidental captures. Collisions with boats or causes related to changes in their habitat are also common, such as the reduction of their food sources, which forces them to move to other waters, or pollution. And not everyone knows how to act in a case like this.
On social networks you can find many videos of people who come across a dolphin stranded on the beach and, following an impulse, decide to drag it back into the sea, grabbing it by the fins or tail. A task in which people surrounding the animal join in to try to return it to the water. All of them blunders that, although they may be inspired by good faith, often end the life of the cetacean.
The Whale Conservation Institute (ICB) shares a series of instructions on how to act when faced with a stranded dolphin. The first step is to identify whether the animal is still alive or not. If this is not the case, all that remains is to record the information about the location of the discovery and the characteristics of the dolphin to share with the authorities. In the case of Spain, the Emergency telephone number 112 must be alerted. As precautions, it is urged to keep a safe distance and not touch the animal.
If the dolphin is alive, the first thing will be to stay away from it to avoid stressing it and immediately call the Emergency services, who will send specialized personnel to the place to implement the relevant protocols. You must prevent anyone from approaching you, as well as stay calm and not shout or make noise. You should also not move it, even if it is on the shore, as this can cause serious injuries or even death, since its skin is very fragile. Just like its fins. Neither should you give him water or food.
