Irish Scientists Encounter Dolphin That Suffered Severe Sunburn Off Kerry Coast

A bottlenose dolphin that survived being severely sunburned in 2016 was spotted by scientists on July 12 in Tralee Bay in County Kerry, Ireland.

Spirtle, the name given to the Scottish female dolphin, was stranded out of water on mudflats for 24 hours in the Moray Firth in May 2016, RTE reported. Scientists did not believe she would survive her injuries but her wounds eventually healed and she was seen in Scotland in 2017 and 2018, the outlet said.

Dr Joanne O’Brien, of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, captured this video of the dolphin’s most recent sighting in Tralee Bay, which is located on the southwest coast of Ireland.

In a statement to RTE, O’Brien said the dolphin “appeared to be in perfect health.” Credit: Dr Joanne O’Brien via Storyful