A dolphin that became stranded in south Dublin on Sunday has died despite an attempt to rescue and release it into deeper waters.
The animal was first spotted and reported stranded on Sandymount Strand on Sunday morning.
In a rescue operation at about 9am, the animal was brought ashore before being transported to Sandycove.
The rescue involved the Dún Laoghaire coast guard unit, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and gardaí.
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A spokesman for Dublin Zoo confirmed it provided veterinary expertise and specialist equipment to aid efforts to rescue the dolphin.
However, despite the animal being relocated to deeper waters near Sandycove beach, it died a short time later.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said the dolphin has since been transported to the veterinary hospital at University College Dublin, where a postmortem examination will be carried out to determine the cause of death.
“The Irish Coast Guard would like to thank the members of the public who reported the incident and those who supported the Coast Guard crews during the operation,” the spokeswoman said.
