Dolphin Spotted In River In Cambridgeshire

A dolphin has been spotted in a river in Cambridgeshire - an incredible 13 miles from the sea.

Richard Priest, 32, and his wife Serena, 41, from Wisbech, were out for a stroll along the banks of River Nene when they saw the majestic creature swimming alongside them.

Thinking quickly, Richard whipped out his mobile phone to get some hard evidence of the incredible sighting.

In the clip, which was taken on 23 August, the dolphin can be seen gliding through the water.

Speaking about the encounter, Tesco manager Richard said: "I didn't believe it was a dolphin at first, it was such a shock.

"I was going for a walk with my wife and just by luck, I saw a big ripple in the river, then the dolphin fin popped out the water.

SWNS

"I thought it was strange and the dolphin must be lost, as I have never known a dolphin to be in the river, so I reported it to Sea Watch Foundation who were very surprised."

The Sea Watch Foundation monitors cetaceans in British and Irish waters, and after watching Richard's video it has confirmed that it was a common dolphin.

But this isn't the first time one has been spotted in the waters of UK and Ireland, with 29 species of cetaceans having been sighted here in the past 20 years.

Richard said the dolphin seemed to be OK, however, the charity stated it was concerned and reported the sighting to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

He added: "The charity were concerned but they did say that most of the time the dolphins do find their own way home."

SWNS

Last year, a rare white dolphin was spotted in Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.

The dolphin was swimming alongside a pod of common dolphins, who had decided to show themselves to passengers on a wildlife tour boat in the Queen Charlotte Sound.

Captain Paul Keating - who is chairman of a group called Guardian of the Sounds - said he had never seen a white dolphin in the 33 years he's been at sea.

Keating also runs wildlife company E-Ko Tours in Picton, explained he had first spotted the unusual white dolphin around two weeks ago, but said it had been 'very elusive since'.

He believed it was a member of a pod of around 100 short beaked common dolphin, which had taken up residence in Queen Charlotte Sound.

Topics: Entertainment, Dolphins

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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