Colleagues from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group recently reported there has been a spate of unusual dolphin strandings along the west coast over a seven day period.

There were six separate incidents from Kerry to south Donegal involved strandings by three separate species of dolphin. Some of the animals survived after refloating, some perished. The first report involved a common dolphin on Ventry strand, Co Kerry, the animal was refloated and seen swimming in the bay 24 hours later.

Days later a common dolphin was spotted alive on the shore at Killala, Co Mayo, but did not survive. Early August a Risso's dolphin stranded on Elly Bay on the Mullet peninsula in north Mayo. It was refloated, stranded again later that day and died the following day.

Two days later five common dolphins were discovered alive on Rossnowlagh beach, two of the animals were refloated, three died and were taken to Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology for examination. More recently another dolphin was found stranded at Mayo's Killala Bay, it was refloated. On the same day, a striped dolphin, normally found in temperate and tropical waters, was found dead on the Shannon Estuary in Co Clare, believed to have been alive when it stranded.

A seismic survey has been taking place on the Slyne Basin since late July, running until the end of this month and IWDG are appealing to the public to contact them for any such sightings or related information.