A bottle-nosed dolphin stranded on the flats near Bluff has returned to the water - though her calf had died before helpers arrived.
Renee Bull said her uncle saw the mammals while flying over Southland today and called his niece, who drove to the scene with a friend.
She said they thought both dolphins were dead at first, then saw the mother breathing.
They called the Department of Conservation and its staff quickly arrived.
The department's operations manager for Murihiku, John McCarroll, said the calf was found dead and the mother in poor condition.
Workers brought buckets of water for the surviving dolphin and it was assessed by a Doc vet, saying that she was remarkably calm.
DoC was not sure why the pair had stranded. Workers considered several options for returning the mother to the water, though hadn’t ruled out euthanasia.
Both dolphins were bleeding and had multiple abrasions from rubbing against broken shells in the sand.
The dead calf was hoisted and taken away.
A truck and trailer drove onto the beach to assist the mother - though after taking her weight (estimated to be around 400kg) and the fast-approaching tide into consideration, Doc workers decided to wait for the water to come to her.
Ms Bull’s partner and his work colleagues arrived to help Doc staff move the dolphin to deeper waters with the incoming tide.
The dolphin returned to the sea, exhausted, just after 2pm, and staff will continue to monitor the area for the next few days to ensure her safety.
Mr McCarroll said Doc are awaiting a decision from mana whenua about what will happen with the body of the calf.
- By Ben Tomsett
