Reward offered after rare dolphin calf killed in 'boat hit-and-run'

Specialist police wildlife officers are investigating the hit-and-run death of a rare dolphin calf, apparently after a collision with a power boat. The bottlenose dolphin calf was part of a small inshore pod living in the waters off the south-west coast of England. It is thought the dolphins were swimming close to the shore in the Camel estuary near Padstow in Cornwall on Saturday afternoon. They spent around three hours near the shore and up to 25 boats were seen motoring around them. When the pod left, the body of the young dolphin was seen floating in the water.

Devon and Cornwall police are appealing for anyone who saw the incident or took photos or video footage of it to contact them. A police spokesman said: "It is believed several boats were in the area at the time and one of the dolphins was hit by a boat and killed." Marine campaigners Sea Shepherd UK and an insurance company have put up a £2,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible. A charter boat crew tried to retrieve the body on Sunday but was unable to as it was too slippery.



The British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust put out a joint statement accusing some of the vessels involved of "harassing" the dolphins. "The death is believed to be as a result of the harassment. There were a number of private, commercial and sightseeing vessels in the area at that time. The Padstow sightseeing vessels are all trained in how to behave responsibly around wildlife and there is no insinuation that they are involved; however, passengers may have been witness to the harassment by other vessels."

Harassment of dolphins is a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly harass any dolphin, porpoise, whale or basking shark. A conviction carries a maximum sentence of a £5,000 fine and six months' imprisonment. Abby Crosby, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said the death of the dolphin was a tragedy. "This is a rare, small, inshore pod, a sub-species of the offshore bottlenose dolphins. They are very intelligent and will mourn the loss of the calf." Police are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the incident to contact them.