Morecambe’s lifeboat crew in rescue of stranded porpoise
At 3.12pm on Thursday 11 April 2019, Morecambe RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were tasked to proceed to Humphrey Head, where a porpoise was reported to have become stranded.
Coastguards were concerned that a number of people who had walked out to assist the animal were in danger of being cut off by the incoming tide.
As there was no indication of the numbers involved, both the inshore lifeboat and inshore rescue hovercraft were launched. Arriving on scene they found that in fact three porpoises had become stranded; two of which had unfortunately died. The RNLI volunteers then assisted local coastguard teams and a volunteer from British Marine Life Rescue to lift the remaining porpoise into the hovercraft. The stricken animal was then transported further out into the Bay, where it was released and kept under observation until it had safely swum away into open water.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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