Craic On

Last Chance Saloon

Dylan, Moville’s porpoise, was given one last chance. Three times Anthony Craig had found Dylan (called after Moville’s DylanFest), beached on the shore and three times he had rescued and put him back in the water, twice into the River Bredagh.

However, experts calling into a local radio station said that this was a mistake, that the animal was sick or injured and that it should be left where it was. They said that this might have seemed cruel but it was better for the porpoise.

Expert Advice

Anthony and the others involved in the rescue didn’t want to go against the experts. If Dylan was washed up on the beach again he would be left, almost certainly to die. That was the recommendation of the experts who said that this was kinder than rescuing it again.

So, this was Dylan’s last chance. It was the last chance saloon for him. There were to be no other rescues.

Moville residents like Anthony Jackie and Keith Craig, Trish Murphy, Rhea and Robbie McLaughlin, Rose Kelly and Brian Wingham who had been involved in previous rescues, waited with bated breath.

Sniffer Dog

It was Anthony’s dog who had first discovered Dylan when Anthony took him on his regular walk along the River Row and round to the shore. He was pulling Anthony towards the porpoise.

It was on these walks that Anthony found Dylan beached again on the shore in the same spot.

Yesterday Anthony had found Dylan again beached when he was out on his walk and had put him into the Bredagh River. Not too long afterwards Dylan swam back out into Lough Foyle.

Bredagh River

But would he be beached again his morning? This time there would be no Bredagh River and no help.

It was with trepidation that Anthony took his walk this morning. Would Dylan be there? It would be heartbreaking to see him there and then to have to walk past him and pass him again on the way back.

To Anthony’s delight, Dylan wasn’t there. he had made it this time. He didn’t know that this was his last chance – but he took it anyway.

It’s just as well that Anthony didn’t have the experts’ advice before he rescued Dylan three times previously.

Probably

Of course, we don’t know for certain that he is alive and well. However, as he had been washed up on the beach in the same spot three times, if he had perished the likelihood would have been that he would have been washed up there alive or dead – and he wasn’t.

The probability is that he made it and he is out in the lough swimming about with his pod again. If he was able to make contact with him they would have come to help him.

Maybe he’ll come back to visit us again some time. He seemed to like the Bredagh River.

It looks as if all is well and that Anthony and the others managed to save his life. It’s a very lucky porpoise that Anthony’s dog discovered him lying on the beach.

Perhaps he is the real hero of the story.

• Hear Anthony Craig on RTE Morning Ireland about porpoise
• Moville’s porpoise, Dylan, on Foyle Radio tomorrow
• Al Diesan at Moville’s DylanFest in Rosatos
• SOS goes out for Dylan, Moville’s porpoise
• Today is last chance for Moville’s porpoise
• Porpoise Media Frenzy at Craig’s house in River Row
• Dylan, Moville’s porpoise, heads out to sea
• Film of Porpoise Dylan in Bredagh River
• Pictures of Moville’s porpoise in Bredagh River
• It’s Alive! It’s Alive! Moville’s baby porpoise is alive
• Moville’s Porpoise rescued – but will it live?
• Attempted porpoise rescue now taking place
• Not looking good for Moville’s baby porpoise
• Drama of Baby Porpoise in River Bredagh

DylanFest on the Lough Details – BeatlesFest on the Lough Details