Shea rescues one of the dolphins
A young Co Donegal man has been hailed a hero after single-handedly rescuing two dolphins from death.
Shea Coyle was walking along his local beach in Downings when he thought he saw two surfboards stuck in the sand.
But when he got closer Shea, 22, discovered two dolphins beached on the shoreline.
Shea, a fish farm worker, rushed to the dolphins’ aid along with dad Michael.
When they reached the dolphins, the creatures were desperately trying to free themselves from the sand.
“I rolled up my trousers and waded into the water. They were struggling to free themselves but the more they did, they more they became trapped,” he said.
Shea eventually managed to free one of the dolphins and dragged him out to deeper water to safety.
Amazingly the first dolphin just sat there as if waiting for his companion to be rescued.
Shea then began working on freeing the second dolphin.
“I eventually managed to get the second one free and with that they just took off,” he said.
But that wasn’t the end of Shea’s amazing adventure.
As he watched the dolphins swim off the pair suddenly jumped out of the water as if to say ‘thank you’ to their rescuer.
“It all happened so quickly but I was just delighted that we were in the right place at the right time.
“It would have been such a shame if they had died.
“I couldn’t believe it when they jumped out of the water as they swam away,” he said.
The strandings are the latest finds in Co Donegal in recent days.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin group also reported that two dead beaked whales were washed up at Five Finger Strand in Inishowen and at Trabreaga Bay.
Both have been sent to the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Athlone for analysis.
