Pupils rescue ‘dolphin’ stranded on Littlehampton beach

Primary school children take part in the mock exercise to rescue a dolphin

More than 20 children from five schools across Littlehampton, Wick, Rustington and Arundel took part in a mock dolphin rescue at West Beach, on Thursday.

Their efforts appeared so professional that sun-seekers thought the youngsters were part of a real rescue – until they saw the afflicted animal was only a life-size  model.

The event was funded by head teachers from primary schools in the area and co-ordinated by Sara Hopkins, community liaison manager based at The Littlehampton Academy.

She said: “The children had a great time. They worked really well together.

“At one point we had a woman, who was on the beach with her children, thinking we were actually rescuing a real dolphin.

“She was about to ring the emergency services until she saw Leaky’s fins flopping around.”

The children were under the watchful gaze of Steven Savage, Sussex regional co-ordinator of the Sea Watch Foundation, who led the day.

They were given the task of rescuing the inflatable dolphin, called Leaky, who had become ensnared in some fishing netting and washed up on the coastline.

They had to act quickly to give vital first aid, as well as demonstrate how they would calm the distressed animal in a real-life situation and show how they would control curious beach-goers, to prevent them from causing more harm to the injured mammal.

The pupils were split into two teams to tackle the rescue, with each taking on a specific role in the rescue.

David Horney, 10, of Summerlea Primary School, Rustington, took it upon himself to keep the dolphin calm during the operation.

He said: “It was really challenging. We had to do loads of things like check its breathing and keep it calm. I had to talk to it quietly and try to keep him cool by pouring water on him.”

After lunch, the schoolchildren were taught how to survive on the beach if they were stranded.

Sara added the project was designed to link to one of the books they were reading, Kensuke’s Kingdom, by children’s author Michael Morpurgo.

“We wanted them to learn about the environment and how to live in it,” she said. “The book follows a child who was stranded on a desert island, so this linked really well.”

Steve showed the children the different ways they could survive and scavenge for food on the beach, saying they did ‘a great job’.