Locals save porpoise on beach in Kilkeel
'Hitting into rocks'
"I got a phone call to say the porpoise was on the beach, and there was a crowd in the caravan site getting together to see if they could do something for it," he said.There are two beach areas near the caravan site, so Mr McKibbin had difficulty finding the porpoise at first."Our caravan site is on a corner of the coast and we went to the front beach but couldn't see it."Then we went to the back beach and saw Jason …trying to put it into the water."When he arrived, a resident, Jason Hughes "was in the water with it".Mr McKibbin said he saw Jason "push the porpoise into the sea". "It was hitting into rocks and it obviously didn't have a clear path to get free," he said."I arrived down and said to Jason we need to lift it and put it into deep water."
'A bit distressed'
"Jason took his coat off and we put the coat underneath the porpoise, so we just used his coat as a sling to carry it and then we carried it across the beach about 50 ft and then we put it into the water and away it went."Once Mr McKibbin and Mr Hughes picked the porpoise up with the aid of a jacket, "it was pretty easy".He said they thought of using the jacket because "you don't want to put too much pressure on its organs when lifting it up, so thought that the coat would spread the weight over its body."We just put the coat underneath it, and it was flapping its tail about, you could see it was a bit distressed," he said."Whenever we put the porpoise into the water, you could see it swimming away, and it was just coming on the edge of dark, but you could see it swimming on out to sea."
'Happily ever after'
Mr McKibbin said when the two men picked the porpoise up, "it actually was sort of relaxed"."It only just flapped its tail when we put it into the water."He swam away, and we watched him until he disappeared under the water completely."It wasn't injured; it swam away on out."Mr McKibbin said it felt "brilliant" to have rescued the young purpoise. "It definitely would have died, because it couldn't get out into the deep water."Rescuing a porpoise was a first for Mr McKibbin, who said: "It's usually people we save on the beach"."Hopefully, it'll go out and find the rest of its pod and live happily ever after."
What should you do if you spot stranded sea life?
British Divers Marine Life Rescue offer advice about what to do if you find a stranded whale, dolphin or porpoise.In a statement to BBC News NI, BDML said: "Proper health checks are necessary" to determine if a cetacean is "in poor condition or has an underlying problem" and the BDML "dispatch specialist Marine Mammal Medics to respond appropriately to the animal, acting on their best welfare interests".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I am blind and my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's at 37 - the comments we receive can be exhausting
A blind mother-of-two has opened up about her family's journey with disability and illness on a new Mail podcast. Speaking to The Apple & The Tree, Hannah, 27, described her difficult childhood – from losing her vision at 7, to learning her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when she was just 12. Hannah appeared on the podcast with Brett, 50, who revealed his fear of deteriorating and no longer being able to support his family. The Apple & The Tree, hosted by the Reverend Richard Coles, brings together parents and their adult children to answer questions about their shared family history. 'When you were first diagnosed, I was really young – it felt overwhelming', Hannah told her father. 'We didn't know much then – about Parkinson's and what the prognosis was like moving forwards. 'I guess it's similar to my condition: someone else who has it might have a completely different experience.' Hannah, 27, described her difficult childhood – from losing her vision at 7, to learning her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when she was just 12 'The symptoms are so variable', Brett replied. 'It's hard to take on board what other people with the disease are experiencing. It's not necessarily what I am going through, day to day. 'When the symptoms really kick in and I am having a bad time with it – I do wonder how my family is going to cope.' The father-of-three's worries are intensified by the fact that he's still raising two young boys, aged 9 and 12. Both father and daughter spoke about the exhausting impact of strangers' insensitive comments. 'I get silly questions from people all the time', Brett revealed. 'When I am shaking, someone will ask me whether I am cold. Some people assume I am drunk – that happens quite often. 'Knowing it will get worse is hard – I am someone who keeps my fears bottled up inside. 'I had a woman see me shaking at work the other day. She asked why - and my colleague told her I had Parkinson's. 'She had been in the day before and said – I was here yesterday, and he didn't have it then. 'That's the sort of level of ridiculous comments you get.' Hannah is albino and her progressive loss of sight stems from a rare side effect of the genetic condition. She also shared her frustration at how the world perceives her disability. Hannah remarked: 'I know people on the street are staring at me. I worry about my kids getting grief at school for having a mum that's disabled. 'It is exhausting. When I meet new people, I feel like I have to explain myself all the time – it's knackering. 'My eyesight is complicated. I haven't got twenty minutes to give someone a bloody science lesson every time they ask about it. 'We live in a culture where everyone feels they deserve to know everything about you.' When asked by his daughter what his greatest fear is surrounding his condition, Brett described his worry at eventually not being able to provide for his family. 'My biggest worry is how long I will be able to work for', he revealed. 'How long I can support my family before I have to pack it all in and they have to support me. To listen to the full discussion, where father and daughter exchange their experiences of disability, search for The Apple & The Tree now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Celebrity skirt dupes: Our fashion editors scoured the High Street to track down astonishing clones of slimming, anti-ageing styles the A-list choose... for a fraction of the price
For those intent on keeping cool in the hot weather, a simple pair of shorts would seem the easy sartorial answer. But what if the very thought brings you out in a wave of 'but-my-legs!' anxiety? Luckily, the summer skirt is having a moment – and there are a raft of chic, flattering styles to choose from on the high street.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Revolutionary MND drug should be given to all who need it
I know all too well the devastating impact of motor neurone disease (MND), a fatal disease that kills a third of people within a year of diagnosis, and more than half within two years. My son Rob inspired the nation through the courage he showed in sharing his story of having MND. In doing so, he helped to raise millions of pounds for research to help us towards a cure. Sadly, an effective treatment for this horrific disease didn't come in time for Rob. And a year on from his death, the same is still true for the vast majority of people with MND. But for the one in every 50 whose disease is caused by a particular genetic change, there is now a treatment that works. It's called tofersen, and it dramatically slows, even pauses, the progression of MND. It means that people taking it can now dare to dream and hope for many years of life. Tofersen has already been approved in the US and the EU, and in the UK is part of the way through the NHS approval process. While we wait for a decision, the company behind it, Biogen, is giving it for free to people who need it. This is a lifeline. People with MND simply don't have time to wait. The good news is that most people who could benefit from tofersen are now getting it. But shockingly, a small number — the MND Association estimates there are about 12 — have been told that their local NHS won't give it to them, even though the drug is free. The reason? They say they don't have the staff and bed space needed to administer it once a month. The MND Association has asked the government to intervene. But the government says it is down to individual NHS bodies, and so it can't get involved. This means that if you happen to be in an area where the local NHS will give you the drug, you get to live. If you don't, your condition will continue to deteriorate. There's nothing I would not have done to save my son, so for some people to know there's a treatment at long last — a free one — but not to be able to access it is just unbearable to think about. Not only is this tragic, but it's grossly unfair. It goes against the NHS Constitution's commitment to put the needs of patients before organisational boundaries. I was deeply touched by Keir Starmer calling those who carry on the fight for a cure for MND in Rob's memory as 'the best of our country'. He's right. They are. But when I think about the best of our country, I think about compassion and a sense of fairness. I'm asking the prime minister to act today to stop other families going through what I've gone through. He can tell the NHS to give everyone who could benefit from tofersen equal access to it. He should do so. Sign the Motor Neurone Disease Association's petition at
