Rare visitor to Welsh waters found stranded on North Wales beach

AN unusual visitor to Welsh waters met a “sad ending” when it became stranded on a beach in Gwynedd. Striped dolphins are common enough in the Mediterranean but they are rarely seen in the Irish Sea.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

So when one was reported on the sand at Pwllheli, medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were quick to respond.

The stranded cetacean was reported on Friday, May 30. Striped dolphins are relatively small and colourful, getting their name from two signature grey stripes running down their sides.

Although widely distributed in the world’s temperate and tropical oceans, they prefer deeper offshore waters. In Britain they are seen occasionally off Scotland’s northwest coast - visitors to Wales are typically vagrants separated from their schools.