Dolphin in danger of being killed by boat

The friendly creature has captivated crowds since his recent arrival on the coast, but the dolphin has already been wounded by the propellers of boats full of eager spectators.

Now the World Society for the Protection of Animals wants to remove the dolphin to safer waters.

But it is being forced to stay on the sidelines because it can only step in and save the dolphin if and when an official licence is given by the Government's Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs.

Marine mammal expert and society project officer Ric O'Barry warned that Randy is in danger of being fatally injured if he is not removed soon from the busy harbour.

The society has offered its help to a coalition of groups which have been monitoring Randy but it cannot act without the licence and time is running out.

Randy has already been injured by boats, carrying recent scars caused by boat propellers, and only a few days ago a local diver reported seeing a bleeding wound on Randy's snout. It was the last reported sighting of Randy that the society received.

The 10-year-old dolphin has attracted immense public and media attention since he was spotted off the Dorset coast several weeks ago, with a host of craft following the creature's appearances and many divers going into the water with the dolphin.

Local calls for help with Randy saw international dolphin expert Mr O'Barry, who turned campaigner after training captive dolphins for the 1960s Flipper TV series, arrive in the UK to make an assessment of Randy's predicament.

He said: "Like a child sitting on the floor in front of a fan, one must remove the fan or remove the child before he sticks his finger in the fan.

"The several hundred boats in the marina can't be removed. The obvious solution is to remove the dolphin.

"If this dolphin was any other wild animal that was running around in traffic, it would have already been relocated back into the wild or to a sanctuary."