Popular Moray Firth dolphin found dead near Latvia
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THE BODY of a popular Moray Firth dolphin was found off the coast of Latvia last weekend.
The announcement was made by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) who shared the sad news about Mischief, a bottlenose dolphin who had become popular in the area and was believed to be around 40 years old.
A WDC spokesperson said: "Mischief lived up to his name, and his antics were often spotted because he was easily identifiable – with the big, partially fused cut at the base of his fin and scratches and marks not just on his fin but on his head.
"His sudden appearances off the coast of Holland a few years ago had us scratching our heads as we were not quite sure what he was up to over there.
"These were the first confirmed evidence of known individuals from the Scottish east coast bottlenose dolphin population being seen outside the UK. Was he following food or just mucking about and having fun, doing what wild dolphins can and should be doing."
"It's sad news but we like to think that Mischief lived a full and happy life. We believe he was around 40 years old, which is a good age for a male bottlenose dolphin."
The news was also shared by Dolphin Spirit Inverness, who named their RIB after him in 2017.
Marked by a peculiar fin shape and therefore more easily recognisable, Mischief used to be among the list of dolphins available for "adoption" at WDC.
