DOLPHIN RESCUE

Yesterday, Morigenos received a call about a dolphin entangled in a bottom-set net near Piran. The dolphin was trying to stay afloat, but the net was dragging it under the surface. The Morigenos team responded immediately and went to sea. Fortunately, our colleagues from Aquarium Piran were already at sea at the time, and they too spotted the animal in trouble and informed us. They quickly reacted in the right way and started to lift one end of the net, which made it easier for the animal to breathe on the surface, and they then managed to remove the net from the dolphin’s tail. The dolphin swam away and a few minutes later, with the help of the guidance of our colleagues from Aquarium Piran, the Morigenos team managed to track it down. We observed the dolphin for some time to make sure that it was fine and behaving normally, and we were able to identify it. This is one of the resident dolphins in the area, which we at Morigenos have known well for many years.

Fortunately, today’s event had a positive outcome, but it also showed the importance of good cooperation among the different players in understanding, solving and perhaps even preventing this type of event in the future: recreational boaters who informed us about the dolphin; the Piran Aquarium, which at the right time and with the right vessel was able to help the animal and also informed us immediately; the owner of the net, who without hesitation allowed his net to be lifted; Morigenos, which tracked and identified the animal and will monitor its condition in the coming days and weeks; and even Municipality of Piran, which facilitated faster access to the harbour for us by vehicle.

In such disentanglement events, it is extremely important to monitor the post-release survival of affected animals. Not all seemingly successful interventions are always successful in the long term. We will therefore be paying particular attention to this dolphin in the coming days and weeks, to get an insight into its long-term survival. As the animal does not appear to have suffered any serious injuries, we are very optimistic for the time being. However, we urge anyone at sea in the Gulf of Trieste to immediately report any sightings of dolphins, both free-swimming and those in distress, to Morigenos at +386 31 77 10 77.

You can watch a video of the dolphin rescue HERE.