| Two dolphins rescued after beaching on the County Down coast have died, the Department of the Environment has said. |
The dolphins were found close to the shore in Killowen on Carlingford Lough on Friday and volunteers managed to get the animals back into deep water.
But, one rebeached at Killowen on Saturday and the other was found dead on the Omeath side of the lough.
The bodies have been taken away by the Environment and Heritage Service of the DoE for a post mortem examination.
They were striped dolphins, an open sea species, which the EHS said was unusual in inland waters.
Staff from the Exploris Aquarium at Portaferry and the Environment and Heritage Service had helped rescue the animals on Friday.
Speaking then, Leslie Turner of Exploris said they were having problems getting the dolphins to swim back out to sea.
“They seem to want to beach themselves again for some reason, whether they are disorientated or sick,” he said.
The animals had been spotted near the shore on Friday afternoon by a local man.
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