Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

by Mark Stevens

Director British Divers Marine Life Rescue

Silly o'clock (05.00)

Did not get to bed until 0.100 worrying about how the previous days work went.  I went over and over the plans until I dozed off.  I hope practice makes perfect!!

05.15 Checkout of hotel and walk to where the taxi is, there are still people out enjoying themselves and just sitting drinking tea…its so hot!  Clearly this is going to be a long hot day.  (I recorded 52°C in direct sunlight the day before)  All the transport team assembled and kit stowed, its 40 min drive to the awful stink of the dolphin park.

06.30 We have got the net in place and are waiting for the legal team to give us the final GO.  This water smells awful and the dolphins have definitely gone down hill since I last visited here 3 weeks ago.  I hope we are not too late!  Time to have a coffee and some dates for breakfast.

07.30 Finally got the go ahead the net moved through the water carefully and slowly, we need to keep the stress levels down….on everyone… dolphins and people!  The dolphins were trapped in one go. Great but now we had 2 dolphins to deal with.  Tom, my dolphin, is brought out first, leaving Doug and Alan to hold Misha in the water.  I notice Alan swallowing a lot of water!! Not good, he will need antibiotics lol

0800 Holding Tom on the side, have got the local helpers organised and water is being poured over Tom and his breathing rate is 3 / min.  He is clearly calmer than me!!  John is carrying out his vet checks, taking bloods and swabs etc.  The antibiotic stings and bit and Tom reacts and snapped his jaw.  Result is I have a throbbing thumb; still at least I still have a thumb.  Note to self, dolphin bites hurt.

0830 Tom is ready to be loaded in the truck; Misha is having his vet checks.  Need to work fast now I have to brief the local volunteers on how I want Tom moved and sort out the lifting team.  I want Tom loaded up tail first so he can see Misha during the trip.  It may help keep them both calm.

0900 Both dolphins in the truck.  We are off, lots of tears from the Dolphin Angels; this is what they have worked so hard for.  Travelling in the back of a refrigerated lorry, cramped with no idea where you are going is not nice.  Can’t imagine how the dolphins feel lol.

1200 We have arrived at the boat it’s a 60m carry from the truck to it. These boys are heavy!!  Luckily most of the local team has followed us and are helping to carry them.  It is so hot this needs to be fast!  Do we have ice on the boat?

12.15 we are off and we have been able to bring the Dolphin Angels and even Sabash, one of the previous owners has helped all the way.  I can see in his eyes he now knows this is the right thing to do!

1300 Arrive at rehab pool, now the fun begins we need to reverse the boat through the pens and back up to the medical pen.  Good skipper does it easily!!  The dolphins are carried one by one to the back of the boat and put into the water.  They both swim and twist and dart around.  What a change it must be for them.  Clear clean water and woooow fish swimming not decomposing on the bottom of the pool.  Even more tears and claps from everyone.  Sabash found me, hugged me like my spine would snap, grinning from ear to ear.  He is a convert.  No dolphin should ever be trapped in a concrete toilet!  Now where is the next one?  In the mean time I will be waiting at Silverbank Park School teaching science.

Latest update on Misha and Tom's progress here