Death of dolphin which washed up in Kirk Michael being investigated

Juvenile female showed no obvious signs of injury

A dead dolphin which washed up on Kirk Michael beach last week has been removed so its cause of death can be investigated.

The juvenile, female, Risso’s dolphin – which measured 2.3 metres in length – showed no obvious signs of injuries.

The stranding, which government has described as ‘rare’, was reported to the Marine Strandings Network which is co-ordinated by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture and the Manx Wildlife Trust.

MHK Michelle Haywood, who has political responsibility for DEFA, said: “The waters surrounding the Isle of Man are a ‘hotspot‘ for Risso’s in the summer months.

“Despite this relatively little is known about why they come to the Irish Sea, what they specifically eat while here and why their presence in Manx waters is seasonal.”

To assist in answering some of these questions the department, and the Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch, has welcomed a university student from Bangor to carry out a research project this summer.

Anyone who comes across a stranded whale, dolphin, seal or shark should contact either the Manx Wildlife Trust on 01624 844432 or DEFA on 01624 685835.

The details will then be shared with the UK's Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

Once the cause of death has been established the skeleton will be preserved and presented to the Manx Museum to help people learn more about the fascinating species.