Likely cause of death revealed for Gandolf the giant dolphin

INVESTIGATIONS into a giant dolphin found washed up on Anglesey have revealed he met an uncomfortable end.

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

A dog walker came across the animal at Porth Tyn Tywyn, a beach near Rhosneigr, last week.

Distinctive markings on his dorsal fin identified him as a member of the Cardigan Bay population of bottlenose dolphins.

He was known to the Sea Watch Foundation as "Gandalf" though the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre called him "Dewin".

Having been checked and screened by the Rhosneigr Coastguard Rescue Team, Gandolf was subsequently assessed by Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM), the Welsh arm of the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

This found the dolphin was not attacked or emaciated but died in mysterious circumstances.

Although dolphins are common enough in in Cardigan Bay, MEM rarely gets to investigate their deaths as, due to their size and weight, they typically sink when they die.

MEM discover Gandolf had been dead just around 24-48 hours.