A dolphin has died after washing up on Semaphore Beach
Beachgoers fought to save a stranded dolphin at an Adelaide beach before it was euthanised – the latest in a long list of animals washing up on SA coasts.
SA News
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Heartbreaking vision has captured a struggling dolphin on an Adelaide beach as members of the public rush to help.
Beachgoers raised the alarm just after 9am on Sunday morning after spotting the short-beaked common dolphin splashing in the shallows.
Rescuers tried to help the dolphin back into deeper water, but it kept returning to the shore.
The dolphin could be seen wrapped in a wet beach towel sitting in a small puddle, while a man regularly poured buckets of water on its back.
Marine life experts and a local vet were called in to help, but the decision was made to euthanise after struggling on the shore for a couple hours.
Fishing videographer AlexsFishin captured the distressing scene, calling for more awareness about the crippling algae bloom sweeping across the state.
“This is not what you want to see going for a beach stroll before work,” he said in an Instagram post.
“South Australia’s gulfs have been suffering from a disaster, this video has been posted to spread awareness.”
Kerryn Suthern, who tried to rescue the dolphin, said the confronting incident had “devastated” the local community.
“The dolphin was clearly very sick, distressed and any prolonging of its situation would have been traumatising for the animal,” she said.
“It was decided that the kindest thing to do would be to euthanise it.
“Every person there was devastated and cared.”
The devastating incident is the latest in a string of animals washing up on South Australian coast lines.
Last week, a dead penguin washed up on Semaphore Beach, with locals saying the beach was like a “graveyard”.
A 3.5 metre, 480kg great white shark died at Port Broughton on Friday, with a South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) report revealing the death was unexplained.
It comes as the state battles a devastating toxic algae bloom, which has crippled fishers, small businesses and towns across the coast.
The Department of Environment and Water has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as A dolphin has died after washing up on Semaphore Beach
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