A bottlenose dolphin was saved by the emergency services after a member of the public spotted it stranded on an Irish beach.
The gardaí and fire service arrived at the strand at Cockelshell Road, Tralee in time to save the creature.
The gardaí were first to arrive, and they helped the dolphin by providing much needed water. The fire brigade followed shortly after to take the animal back home to the sea.
A source told the Irish Mirror: “The dolphin had stranded on the beach at low tide and was spotted by a person walking in the area.
“There was no one else to call so the guards were phoned and they came out and set about saving the life of the animal.
“They were great, they went and got towels, wet them and placed them on the skin of the animal as it was struggling.
“The guards called Tralee Fire Brigade who came out and brought the dolphin back to the sea, it was a great outcome.”
A garda spokesman said: “Gardaí in Tralee attended the scene of an incident on Cockelshell Road, Tralee at approximately 8.15am today Thursday 25th July 2019 where a dolphin was discovered beached.
“Local Fire Services were called and they assisted Gardaí in returning the dolphin to the water.”
Its not unusual for dolphins or whales to appear around the Irish coast. A teenager recently had an incredible encounter with a whale off the Kerry coast while Fungie the dolphin is such a local celebrity in Dingle that he has his own statue.
Stranded dolphin rescued by gardai and fire services from beach in Tralee, Co Kerryhttps://t.co/OhJNwzS0uI
— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) July 25, 2019
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling