Two young dolphins, now swimming safely in the Irish Sea, owe their lives to rescue work skilfully coordinated by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). Max and Paddy, as they were affectionately named by their rescuers, were found by a man exercising his dog on South Walney Nature Reserve on the morning of 19th December. Though still fit, they were stranded and partly buried in a sandbank. They were common dolphins, used to living in deep water, with little experience of negotiating coastal areas, and they may have become disorientated swimming over the long stretches of level sand. They could not have lasted long out of the water, explained BDMLR's West Cumbrian coordinator, Jenny Watkins, who lives in Egremont. They would soon have suffered dehydration and their internal organs would have been crushed by the weight of their bodies.
Trained BDMLR medic, Steve Hallett was the first to arrive at 1pm, after the alarm had been raised, and he started the process of rescue by sending photos by camphone to a vet, easing both dolphins out of the sand and splashing them with water. Medics from Maryport arrived half an hour later, with airbeds and the only dolphin stretcher in Britain. They also had eye baths, to wash sand from the dolphins' eyes, and they improvised wind breaks, to protect them from the chill of a breezy mid-winter day, and prevent more sand from blowing over them. The next task was the most dangerous, for rescuers and well as dolphins, to start rehydration by passing tubes down their mouths. Max, the larger of the two, fought like mad, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and it was necessary for four people to hold him and fit a large towel into his mouth as a gag before it was safe for medics to put their hands in.

Max was already ready to go, but he could not be released until Paddy was also sufficiently strong as he would otherwise have returned for his friend. Eventually Vicky Temple, a marine trained vet from Cockermouth, was able to pronounce it safe to release both dolphins. They swam out safely and cautiously, still unsure about directions, and were guided away from the shore by rescuers splashing in the water. Next day a careful watch was held all along the coastline to make sure that they had not returned.

The West Cumbrian team, which Jenny coordinates, has now had a great deal of experience of dophin rescue which it would be difficult for teams anywhere else in the country to match. They were deeply involved in attempts to protect Marra, and in July 2006 spent 36 hours attempting to rescue a sick dolphin that had been washed into the Kent estuary. In that case the dolphin died, having possibly been too ill to cope with life in the deeper waters, but the successful rescue of Max and Paddy is a great encouragement and justifies the enormous effort that goes into training and preparation. They must take great care to ensure that the rescue teams remain safe, and they are equipped with glowsticks that help them to see one another in the dark and even under water. All of this training was also put to use in the Carlisle floods on 2005 when their equipment was used to rescue people trapped in their homes.
Jenny is always ready to give talks on the work of BDMLR and will be speaking to Beckermet Scouts next month. To arrange a talk for any group, or find ways in which you can support the work of BDMRL, you can phone Jenny on 01946 823240 or email jrwatkins@talktalk.net. Anyone finding any marine animal in distress should phone 01825 765546, where they will be routed to a coordinator on a mobile.