Woman dumps water on stranded dolphins for hours until help arrives, UK rescuers say

A pair of stranded dolphins were recently rescued in the U.K. — thanks to one woman’s quick-thinking.

While walking June 17 in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, a woman noticed two dolphins stuck in the shallow waters of an estuary near the Atlantic Ocean.

They were Risso’s dolphins, which are considered “very rare” in the area, according to a Facebook post from the Dog Leap Animal Charity.

Upon spotting them, the woman, Amanda Magee, put out a call on Facebook, asking for help, she told the BBC. Soon, people began arriving to assist, including her 16-year-old daughter.

“Someone told me what to do, not to put water in their blow hole and keep them wet,” Magee told the outlet.

Magee and her daughter spent “hours and hours” pouring water onto the animals, while awaiting assistance from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

They also pushed one of the dolphins onto its stomach, after being told that it could die if it stayed laying on its side, according to the BBC.

Eventually, as the tide was coming in, DAERA officials arrived and began carrying the animals out to deeper water.

They started with the younger dolphin, wading out hundreds of feet to ensure it was safely released, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

Then they came back for the older dolphin, which was thinner and scarred from numerous run-ins with squid and other dolphins.

“To everyone’s surprise, it recovered faster than the younger dolphin and quickly joined the first animal,” according to the outlet.

They were then seen swimming off into deeper waters.

“Everyone was soaked and freezing but hearing these two talk to each other and to get to touch them was magical,” the Dog Leap Animal Charity said, adding that Magee’s assistance was crucial. “We’ve no doubt they wouldn’t be alive otherwise.”

Sometimes referred to as gray dolphins, Risso’s dolphins are found throughout all of the world’s oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

They can measure up to 13 feet long, weigh up to 1,110 pounds and live into their 30s.

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Woman dumps water on stranded dolphins for hours until help arrives, UK rescuers say."