Concerns Grow for Lone Dolphin Swimming Near Putney
Wildlife experts describe it as lethargic
The dolphin swimming near Wandsworth Park this Thursday. Picture: BBC
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August 2, 2024
The lone dolphin which has been swimming in the Thames near Putney is raising concern among wildlife experts.
It was spotted multiple times in the vicinity of Wandsworth Park this Thursday (1 August) with local rowers getting a close up view.
Mary Tester, Thames Area Coordinator at British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), said, “It looks like an adult common dolphin.
“It’s on its own, which is extremely rare, and it looks extremely disoriented and pretty lethargic. So it’s potentially swam up the river, maybe gotten lost, and doesn’t have the energy to swim back where it needs to go.”
The BDMLR has sent two medics to monitor the animal’s welfare but Ms Tester warned that although dolphins are beautiful and it is really exciting to see them, it is a ‘red flag’ for them to be so far up the Thames.
Seals and porpoises can cope with conditions this far up river but not dolphins. So far this year the BDMLR has monitored five pods of dolphins which have swum beyond the Estuary and into the Thames, three of which reached London none of which survived.
Luke Denne, who works for the environmental non-profit group Climate Centre happened to be working in Putney on Thursday morning and was able to identify it as a dolphin rather than a porpoise.
The BDLMR is asking rowers and boaters on the river not to follow the dolphin.
The BDLMR rescue hotline (01825 765546) to report possible dolphin sightings is available 24 hours a day
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