Sea World Foundation Rescues Dolphin trapped at Brunswick Heads

The Sea World Foundation rescue team joined New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Rangers, ORRCA members, Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council Rangers and Dolphin Research Australia to complete a complex operation to relocate a dolphin which had become trapped in a shallow estuary system near Brunswick Heads. The alert was raised after the male bottlenose dolphin was seen stranded in a shallow section of Marshall’s Creek at New Brighton, and despite two high tides had not swum to the deeper section of the Brunswick River. With reports of the dolphin stranding on a sandbank, the rescue mission to relocate the dolphin to deeper waters was planned for the next low tide. Sea World Foundation Head of Marine Sciences, Wayne Phillips said the collaborative rescue operation was a success with the dolphin returned to the Brunswick River. “The dolphin’s behaviour was concerning and after consultation with all stakeholders, intervention was deemed the best option to help the dolphin due to the time it had spent in this unusual location,” he said.

“It was a great operation with the team acting as a human chain to corral the dolphin to the shallowest section of the estuary before securing the dolphin to allow the veterinary team to complete their assessments. “Following Dr Claire’s assessment, we placed the dolphin in a stretcher in our van and travelled towards the mouth of the Brunswick River, before the team carried him the final 600metres for a return to the deeper section of water at Christmas Beach.” Sea World Foundation Head Veterinarian, Dr. Claire Madden said it was an incredible feeling to see the dolphin swim off so strongly after spending 36 hours in the shallow section of the estuary. “My immediate concerns were the dolphin had an underlying health issue, however following the comprehensive in-water veterinary assessment, it was pleasing to see the dolphin was healthy and we believe it was misadventure which led to him being in this unusual location,” she said. “The team did an amazing job throughout the operation and to return such a strong and healthy dolphin back to the deeper water was the best feeling and such a wonderful outcome for everyone involved.”