The bottlenose dolphin that is the ports of Amsterdam on Saturday morning swam, does not look sick and does not lose weight. It is a worrying situation that the animal is now in the harbor, writes SOS Dolphin Foundation Saturday evening.
The animal has been following a sailing ship from France for three days that had the port of IJmuiden as its final destination. Then the dolphin swam with the boat through a lock to Amsterdam. Footage has shown that the dolphin off the French coast has also been seen more often near ships and people.
SOS Dolfijn is very concerned about the animal. “The port of Amsterdam is not a natural habitat for dolphins and the water is brackish to fresh,” the foundation said. “The brackish water can eventually cause health problems and it is unclear whether the animal can find enough food to survive.”
Rescue attempt in vain
SOS Dolfijn is currently working on a plan to get the animal out of the Amsterdam ports. On Saturday afternoon, the organization tried to lure the animal back to the locks. “At first the animal swam in a boat with SOS Dolphin employees on board, but soon it swam back to the sailing ship.”
Other ways of getting the animal back into the North Sea are currently being considered. The sailing ship cannot return quickly because it has to be unloaded.
“Of course there is also the chance that the dolphin will swim out of the harbor on its own,” said the organization. “But that will have to be controlled because the locks are not continuously open.”
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